Prince Hak
by LovelyLovelessInDenial
Summary: Many years ago, the wind tribe overthrew the sky tribe and became the ruling tribe of Kouka. The reluctant prince Hak and charming bodyguard Yona lives are irrevocably changed from this event that happened years before either of them were born. Chased from his castle, with only Yona to help him, what will become of Prince Hak?
1. Chapter 1

I knew when I woke up that it would be a bad day. Most people rejoice on their birthdays, they wake up excited and ready to see who will celebrate with them and what presents they will bring, but that doesn't matter to me. I already have anything I could ever need, or want. And if I had it my way I would celebrate with the only three people I care about.

Being a prince doesn't allow for that kind of small, humble celebration though. As much as I resented it, hundreds of people would flow in and out of the castle today, wishing me hollow birthday wishes and giving me useless gifts in a pitiful attempt to win favor.

"Wakey wakey!" An entirely too chipper voice calls from the entrance of my room. Light footsteps cross the premises to the large balcony window I always keep the thick velvet drapes pulled over. With a whoosh, they were thrown open, silhouetting one of the aforementioned three people I care about.

Her bright red hair lay in unkempt tangles behind her, and her formal attire showed that she was entirely ready for the big day. Unlike me, though I had no real want to to ready at all.

"Oh, come on, Prince." She said, obviously disgruntled now that she had seen my 'sleeping' form. "Do you know how entirely unacceptable it would be to miss your own birthday party?"

I don't respond to my bodyguard's nagging. I had always thought she would have made a much better princess than I do a prince, with her cheerful demeanor, eager-to-please personality, and adorable face. When I told her that she had blushed almost as red as her hair, before stuttering out that those were exactly the reasons she made a good bodyguard. She was 'unexpected' or something.

I think the main reasons she made a good bodyguard is how cute she acts when I tease her, and how beautiful she looks when she smiles. I would never tell her that of course.

Having a relationship with your bodyguard was highly frowned upon.

Speaking of said bodyguard, she was now attempting to pull the covers off my body, a task made hard by the fact I had become a burrito while I slept. She finally managed to tug the blanket hard enough to roll me out of it, a feat that ended with me all but flying off the other edge of the bed. I close my eyes to brace for impact, but it never came.

I opened my eyes to see Yona's threateningly cheerful face inches from mine. "Good! You're awake! Now get dressed. If you aren't in the hall in ten minutes, I_ will_ find you." She says as she tosses me out of her arms and on to my feet.

I stare after her as she leaves. It was easy to forget with her adorable features, clumsy demeanor, happy-go-lucky attitude, terrible sense of direction... Ahem. The point is, she's the best at what she does.

Snapping out of my daze, I head towards the closet, which might as well have been another room altogether. When I step in, I'm surrounded my colorful fabrics and sparkling gems. I sigh deeply. Sometimes, I wish that the wind tribe hadn't overthrown the sky tribe all those years ago. All the lavishness felt wasted on me. I could very easily imagine Yona living here instead, air-headed, innocent, free from the corruption I knew nothing about except what she had told me, which wasn't much. I could almost see it, her basking in all the glitz that came with royalty, nothing more pressing to worry about than her hair.

And of course, probably even more cute and receptive to teasing.

"You have three minutes!" Came her voice, breaking me out of such wishful thinking. Sighing, I grabbed the first Yukata that came into reach, a dark silken thing with silver thread holding it together. Perfect. Not so flashy I would be uncomfortable, but regal enough to not invoice the wrath of Mundok. I quickly shrug it on and head out to the hall, where a petulant Yona was waiting.

"You always cut it so close." She sighs. "And what's up with your hair?" She sighs again before stepping closer. I feel my face heat up as her fingers start delicately combing through the black tresses on my head. I duck down instinctively so Yona won't have to stand on her tiptoes to reach. I can feel my eyes starting to slip closed. She's so gentle... I wish this would never end, but all too soon it does. Yona pulls away from me and gives my hair a satisfied look. "What would you do without me?" She asks, obviously pleased with herself.

"Well, for starters, I would still be in my warm and cozy bed." I say, letting accusation slip into my voice.

She sticks her tongue out at me, before turning around and walking away. "Come on! You're going to be late."

I walk after her, purposefully moving as slowly as possible. She gets exasperated really fast, turning around and pushing me from behind before even a minute had past. With my bodyguards help, we arrive only minutes after the gates had been opened to the public. Much to my chagrin, she left as soon as she was sure I couldn't escape, leaving me to look for another familiar face in the crowd of well-wishers.

Salvation comes from a old, scarred face. As soon as he sees me, his eyes start to glimmer with unshed tears. You can always rely on Mundok to make a scene.

"You've grown so big!" He blubbers, stumbling through the crowd with the obvious objective of glomping me. I stop him with a hand before he can complete his objective, a tactic that had proved very useful in the past.

Not that useful this time, as it turns out. Before I knew it, my arm had been flung out of blocking range, and I was engulfed by Mundok's crushing embraced. The floor flew out from under my feet as he picked me up and began to twirl me. Ah, yes, the punishment for attempting to avoid one of Mundok's hugs. Public humiliation.

After what sees like an absurdly long time, he sets me down. His face changes, shifting from about-to-cry to serious. He gazes at me with an intensity I had only ever seen rarely. "You've become a fine young man. I have full confidence that when the time comes, you will lead this country to greatness."

His words catch me off guard, and in stare at him, wide-eyed and gaping like a fish, for a good few seconds before settling my face into a smile. "Thanks. It means a lot."

He returns my smile, before turning back to the crowds surrounding us. He easily falls into exchanging pleasantries with a passing diplomat, leaving me once again alone in a sea of people vying for my favor.

This time, my savior sneaks up on me. Hands close over my eyes before I can figure out who the owner of them is. They're too big to be Yona's, too soft to be Mundok's, and that just leaves one person I'm close enough to for this kind of contact to be acceptable.

"Soo-won!" I call out triumphantly, entirely too pleased at how quickly I figured out who it was.

I'm rewarded by a pleasant laugh of the man who might as well have been my brother. When I turn to look at him, he's grinning like he's got a secret. "You look even more uncomfortable than I expected. What do you say we go outside for a bit?"

I agree readily, thankful for an excuse to leave the oppressive crowd of people. We sneak down an empty hallway and out a side entrance, where thankfully no one is hanging out. I step out into the cool night air, relaxing immediately now that I've eft the throng of people.

"Leaving so soon?" The voice makes me jump, which I immediately curse as girly giggles ring out. Soo-won steps into her line of sight next, making Yona, who was sprawled on a support beam above us, sigh. "I go through all the trouble to get him up and presentable, and you steal him away before an hours past."

"It's not my fault it's boring as all get-out in there." Soo-won replies. "And don't even try to argue about it being boring, after all, why else would you be hiding out here?"

"I'm _guarding_, you idiot. That's my job. But I can't argue that's it's pretty boring in there. That's what you get when you throw together a bunch of stuffy old men and suck-ups."

"Well," there was the trademark mischievous Soo-won smile, "I have a way to make it interesting." From inside the folds of his traditional Yukata, a sizable bottle of saké is produced. A grin is shared between the three of us, before Yona jumps down from her perch.

"Come on, I know where we won't be disturbed." She says as she walks away, her hips swaying.

We follow her to the very edge of the castle grounds, to a place I had completely forgotten about. One look at Soo-won's face reveals that he had also forgotten about the treehouse the three of us had spent a long summer building all those years before.

Yona smiles brightly at our faces. "What do you think? I thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate the princes 16th birthday."

"You're amazing, Yona." Comes Soo-won's breathless whisper. His voice holds a hint of sadness. He's probably remembering all the days we had spent up there, playing, dreaming, conversing.

"Haha, thanks. You go first, Prince. I got to be able to catch you if your clumsy ass falls."

"You think I'll fall? Yona, I think you need to get your memory checked."

"That was one time!" She yells, much to my pleasure. Her face reddens, making a smirk grace my face. I listen to her though, and climb up first, surprised to see the the treehouse looking virtually untouched by the time that had passed. It had been at least three years since we came here, but it looked as clean as it had the last time I set foot in here.

Soo-won came up behind me, followed by Yona. She noticed my questioning stare and looked away, her cheeks tinting a dull pink. "I might have been taking care of it." She mumbles, obviously embarrassed.

"Really!? Wow Yona, you're so cool!" Soo-won says excitedly. Yona blushes a darker red, making me examine them carefully. Could they...? Nah.

Soo-won takes the bottle of saké out of whatever hidden pocket he's been keeping in it, along with three saké dishes. Yona stares at them. "You knew I was coming?"

"It's not like you ever let the Prince go anywhere on his own." Soo-won teases gently.

Yona pouts a bit, before arguing back. "Well, the one time I accidentally let him wander off on his own, he managed to get kidnapped, sold, drugged, and almost shipped away to the Kai empire."

Now it's my turn to blush. "Hey! I was like 5!" I say in my defense.

Soo-won shoves a cup of alcohol into Yona's hands before she can say anything back at me. He gives me one too, before pouring his own.

We all share a glance and smile.

"Cheers." Three voices say in unison.

* * *

><p>"Hey..." My voice sounds weird to me, but I continue, "Won... Can I call you *<em>hic*<em> Won? Soo-won, is like, so hard."

Soo-won, who was currently laying sprawled across the floor, rolled over to look up at me. "You can *_hic* _call me whatever you want." He says huskily, winking at the end. Giggles make me look over at Yona, who's leaning against the wall by me. She's offering the saké to me, which I gladly take. The saké cups lay abandoned in the corner.

I lift the bottle to my lips, taking a small sip, before passing it to Soo-won. Despite the fact he was laying face down and he didn't look at me, he still takes the bottle. The guy must have some kind of third eye or something. "Can't.. Get up..." He moans.

This, for some reason throws Yona into another giggle fit. This one only lasts a few seconds, and then she's over by Soo-won, attempting to pull him up. Eventually, through the combined effort of two smashed teenagers, Soo-won is sitting up. Well, he was, until Yona fell on him.

"Hakkk," Yona whines. My face heats up when I realize she actually used my name, instead of 'Prince'. I have no time to contemplate if this means anything other than that she's hammered, because she's continuing. "You *_hic_* should, like umm." She pauses for a moment, apparently forgetting what she was asking. She gives the area around her a suspicious look. He eyes come to rest on Soo-won, and they widen in realization. "Oh! You should help us up!"

I groan and grumble, but manage to get to my feet and stumble over. Yona is sprawled out across Soo-won. It enrages me for a second before I remember I can't have her. And, if anyone deserves someone as amazing as Yona, it's Soo-won.

She rolls over to face me, her face flushed. She reaches up and I grab her hands, pulling her up maybe just a bit too hard, on accident of course, so that she falls into my chest. She leans against me and I wrap my arms around her. She's soft and warm against me, and it's calming.

"Ey! You can't hog someone as cute as *_hic_* Yona all to yourself!" At Soo-won's voice, Yona stumbles backwards, out of my arms. She falls back down on her butt with a soft oof! And I sigh. Back to square one, I guess.

"Soo-won, you think I'm *_hic_* cute?" Yona asks Soo-won, who has returned to lying in the face down position.

"Yup!" Came his muffled reply. "In fact," he continues, peeling himself off the ground, "you're so cute, I could," now, he lauches himself at Yona's face, pressing his mouth to hers. I stumble forward and let out a strangled noise, aiming to break them apart, but then I remember. I can't have her.

"Kiss you." He finishes, before promptly passing out.

Yona looks at him, then at me, then back at him, her face flushing ever deeper shades of red.

"Um. " she says eloquently after a few moments.

Wordlessly, I pass her the bottle, which she takes gratefully. In a few moments, it's like nothing even happened. Me and her pass the bottle between us amidst our usual cheeky banter, albeit with much less intelligence in it.

Eventually we both lie down and reminisce the memories we've made together in the darkening light. I don't even register when I finally fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Shuffling wakes me up. The world is still spinning, just a bit, but I can tell it's been a few hours. I crack open one eye warily, but no bright light assaults me. Still night, then. I forced open the other eye, and turn my head carefully, looking for the noise that had awoken me. I was just in time to see the bright blond hair of Soo-Won disappear below the entrance. A quick glance assures me that Yona is still here. She's curled up, cuddling the saké bottle.<p>

Huh?

I push myself up to follow him, but I have to stop when the world starts spinning once again. By the time I've pulled myself out of the treehouse and onto the ladder that connects it to the ground, Soo-won is long gone.

I wander the grounds, getting more and more nervous as I go. Everything seems so quiet and... Empty.

I stop with sudden realization. _There are no guards_. That's why it feels so empty. My objective changes quickly from finding Soo-won to finding Mundok to see what's up.

I head down the twisting corridors until I reach the hall his room is in. When I get close to the door alarm courses through me.

_Its open._

I run the last few steps and fling the door back, staring desperately into the dark room.

I see the silhouette of my father and... I see someone else, and there's a sword and it's not going through Mundok, it's definitely not, it's behind him or in front of him or...

A sickening, wet noise echoes through the room as Mundok's body slides off the sword and hits the ground with a lifeless thump.

"Oh."

* * *

><p>AN: heyyyyy guys. Doing an actual thing with an actual plot, what is this. Also, you guys should review and tell me if you want Hak or Yona to be the center of the four dragons myth in this, cause I can't decide. Pretty please! Oh, and constructive criticism is loved and appreciated.


	2. When things go awry

"Oh."

I crawl to Mundok, desperately looking for signs of life in his face. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed. He looks peaceful, like he's sleeping maybe, because he's not dead. Definitely not. Mundok can't die.

_drip_

I look up at the noise. The sword is dripping crimson liquid into a pool on the ground, and the person holding it is coming closer. They step into the light, and it's...

"Oh."

"You weren't supposed to be here." Soo-won's voice rang out in the room, low and threatening. I've never heard him sound like that.

"I was-" My voice comes out choked. I hadn't even realized I was crying. "I just- I saw you-" I sob out before curling over Mundok's lifeless body. "I saw you leave, and I just- I wanted to make sure you were okay!" I yell the last part, anger slipping into my voice.

I throw my head up to look him in the eyes. He looks stricken by my words, but no satisfaction comes from it.

"Why?" I croak out. "W-we could've been _great"'_

His eyes tell me he understands. Me, him, Yona. The king, the advisor, the guard. We could've been great. We could've been _legendary_.

"We still could've!" He screams. His eyes are wild, and there is blood smeared across his cheek. I've never seen him like this. "If you just hadn't followed me!"

Shuffling comes from outside. Soo-won whispers 'shit' right as the door swings open. Guards pour in. My tense muscles relax, and I fall over Mundok again, relieved that they _finally_ decided to show up.

"Did the Prince see?!" One of the guards ask, immediately making me tense up.

"You have to dispose of him, Lord." Another voice says. "We absolutely cannot have witnesses."

My short-lived relief drains away, and once again I stare into Soo-won's eyes. They are wide, trembling. Hesitation floods them.

"He'll only suffer more if he lives."

At that, Soo-won's eyes settle into a determined kind of detachment. I want to scream at him, make him remember he's basically my brother, godammit. All that comes out is a croak. He steps measuredly towards me. I can't bring myself to move. I lower my head, ready to accept what's coming. Maybe the guard is right. Maybe I will only suffer more if I live.

And then the sound of shattering glass breaks through the haze of acceptance I was in. I jerk my head up in time to see Yona dash between me and Soo-won. Images of them kissing, her blushing, her smiling at him flash through my head.

She's on his side.

Everyone's against me.

My small world, of only three people, is now a small world of no one.

She turns to stare at me, her beautiful violet eyes wild and filled with rage. I flinch away.

"What the _fuck_ is going on!" She screams. Silence is her only answer.

Soo-won takes a step back, his eyes wide and trembling again. I don't want to see anymore. Once again, I'm curled over the lifeless corpse of Mundok.

"You fucking disgust me."

I curl tighter around Mundok. Of all the people to say those words, it hurts the worst coming from Yona. I screw my eyes shut and wait for death.

Without warning, I'm flying through the air, away from Mundok, Soo-won, and all the traitorous guards. Screams fly through the air after me. I look up at my savior, confusion washing over me when I see Yona.

"You're... On my side?" I whimper out. Any other time, and I would've been ashamed for sounding so freaking pathetic, but right now I can't find it in myself to care.

She glances down at me. Her eyes are hard enough to cut through diamonds, but they soften when they come to rest on me. "I'll always be on your side." She sighs out, before returning her gaze forward. Blood is sprayed across her face, and I sit there staring at it, mesmerized, almost. I wonder who's it is. I wonder if they're still breathing.

We're moving so fast I can barely see, but a few familiar landmarks clue me in to our destination. "The treehouse?" I croak.

"Easiest way to get over the wall." She replies.

Before I know it, she's jumping up the ladder. We make it to the treehouse in record time, cross the threshold without hesitation, and dive out the window. Yona lands with a hard thump, but immediately she's running into the forested mountains that lay beyond the castle. I curl up against her, and attempt to sort out my racing thoughts.

To my surprise, I simply feel numb. Empty.

Calmed by the constant thrum of Yona's footsteps and the warmth I'm leeching from her, I fall into a fitful sleep.

* * *

><p>When I wake up, I'm nestled between the roots of a large oak. Confusion clouds my thoughts, and it takes a few seconds of laying there before I realize why exactly I'm outside.<p>

Oh.

Abruptly, I remember another important thing. I'm the only one in this clearing.

"Yona?!" I try to yell. My voice is ragged in my throat, so it comes out as a throaty stage-whisper.

I throw myself up, searching wildly for a trace of her. There's no sign indicating that she ever was in this clearing, or if she'll ever come back. Nothing showing which way she might've went either.

"Yona!" It comes out louder this time. My voice is shrill, and my wail is mournful.

I don't _want_ to have a small world of none.

"Yona..." This one sounds more like a whine. I realize the futility of the situation, collapsing onto my ass and staring blankly at the tree line. After a second, the bushes rustling draws my attention, and I look over to see Yona emerging.

Before either of us could comprehend the situation fully, I had sprung up and engulfed her in my arms.

She tenses from my embrace. Thankfully, with only a second of hesitation, she's wrapping her arms around me and murmuring sweet nothings. At one point, she asks what happened, to which I snivel out, "I thought you had left."

She looks at me incredulously. "Do you really think I would leave someone as helpless as you in the woods alone?"

Any other time, I would've been quite offended, and pointed out that I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but right now it just doesn't seem important enough. "Well, no, I guess. But still! You can't leave. I need you." The admission startles me, but it's easy to see that it's true. Her earlier words echo in my head, and I truly wonder, where would I be without her? Dead, most likely.

Her eyes open wide at my words, and her mouth forms a perfect "o". Slowly, her face sinks into a reassuring and familiar smile. "I won't leave. I'm your tool, my entire life is dedicated to protecting you. I would never leave. And... You will always be the prince in my eyes. Your command is my law."

I sag against her in relief. Maybe it's not exactly what I want to hear, but it's something, and I'll take anything.

She let's go of me, and when I examine her face I find her giving me a shy smile. _Adorable_. "I left to get us some water, by the way. Are you thirsty?"

Her question reminds me that I am, in fact, extremely thirsty. My face gives me away, she hands me the water while her smile morphs into a smirk.

After I had a sufficient amount of water, I ask a very important question. "Where do we go from here?"

"Anywhere you're happy." She replies without hesitation. Her face looks so serious that I can feel mine heating up. She smiles at me after a moment, shakes her head, then gives a more concrete answer. "Home. My home. We're going to the sky tribe's capital city, Uso no Tochi."

Her eyes glimmer with excitement. The last time she went home was at least 3 years ago... What would it be like to be away for that long?

Her voice breaks me out of my thoughts, "Are you hungry? I could get us a bird, or some rabbit or something."

My stomach growls in answer, and she giggles, an adorable, pure sound. "Rabbit it is, then."

* * *

><p>Soo-won stood at the edge of the castle wall, staring over the bustling capital city into the dense forest beyond. Far above the ground, the sky just barely turning from black to purple, it was quiet.<p>

"Lord Soo-won!" A guard approaches, tearing him from his turbulent thoughts. "We have yet to find the prince, or his bodyguard! We are prepared to start sending search teams into the mountains!"

Soo-won doesn't reply for a minute, reverting to staring into the dense forest. He knows if he closes his eyes all he'll see is bright red hair and catlike blue eyes. He can almost taste her lips, if he tries hard enough. He doesn't know why he tries, but he knows he shouldn't.

"There is no need." He finally says. "They can't do anything outside of the castle, and it would only waste precious manpower." He smiles, a tired smile, and tilts his head downward. His next words come out as a sort of reverent whisper tinged with loss and regret. "Plus, it's not like you could ever catch up with Yona." Implications hung in the air, along with a depressing sense of finality.

The guard leaves just as abruptly as he came, and the soon-to-be king is left alone once again. He watches the dawning sky and ponders on colors, and the fact that red and purple is a surprisingly breathtaking combination.

* * *

><p>"C'mon, you slowpoke!" Yona calls from her spot ahead of me. She's twisting and hopping a bit, maybe doing some kind of weird dance?<p>

I catch up to her swiftly, and peer over the ridge where she graciously stopped to wait for me. At least she's not carrying me anymore. Now that, that was embarrassing.

As soon as I can peer over the edge, I stop, astounded at what's spread out in front of me. Before me is the single most amazing thing I have ever seen. Below us, a valley is spread out, encased on all sides by purple-tinted mountains. The craggy peaks of those jutted well into the afternoon sky, giving a sense of safety and seclusion to the lowland they stood guard over. In between the peaks, waterfalls of various shapes and sizes churned to the spiderweb of rivers that separated the valley into sections. In the middle of the secluded basin, a lake encases a castle of the utmost opalescence. It seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, blues and purples and reds all flitting across the surface.

I realize Yona's gaze upon me a bit too late to save face, but at least it reminds me to pick my jaw off the floor.

"It's pretty great, isn't it?" She says, with a wide glowing smile.

"It's... Like nothing I have ever seen." She doesn't point out that all I've ever seen was the castle and capital, and for that I'm grateful.

"C'mon, I can't wait to see papa again!" She says, excitement apparent throughout her entire demeanor. I shift uncomfortably, aware that the reason she hadn't been home in forever was me. There's no accusation in her voice though.

She was displeased with my stagnancy, and she showed it by grabbing my hand in hers and tugging me down the veritable cliff we had been on top of. Even after I had started walking of my own accord, she'd didn't let go of my hand. I knew, logically, that it was only because of how high up we were, but that didn't stop my face reddening.

I was way too focused on making sure my hand wasn't sweaty and I wasn't clenching hers too hard when a rock slipped out from under my foot.

"Uh-" I managed to gasp out, before I fell. It wasn't that far to the bottom, but it was definitely far enough to break a leg, or two. My hand was still grasped in Yona's, but she was just as surprised as me. To her credit, she didn't let go of my hand, but she also didn't have anything to brace herself with, so when I had fallen farther than she could reach, all I could do was watch helplessly as she was pulled down with me.

She gawked at me, her eyes wide open in surprise, before they squinted in a grimace of determination. Mere seconds before we hit the ground, she had curled around me, hitting the ground first and using the momentum to roll, further protecting me from any damage. There was a bit too much momentum though, because at the end of her roll, instead of getting up gracefully like I had seen her do in practice countless times before, she fell flat on her face.

Because of positioning and stuff, this also meant she was draped across me.

"Are you okay?" I ask, once my brain catches up to my body.

She coughs, a ragged, dying kind of cough, before peeling herself off the ground and me.

"I'm fine." She says stoically. She's grimacing, and I don't know if it's because she's in pain or if she's disappointed in me for falling like that. She coughs again, into her sleeve this time, and when she inspects it her grimace deepens. I examine her quizzically, but she makes a point to not show me.

She drags herself to her feet, wobbles just the tiniest bit, then offers her hand to me. "We're so close, it would be a shame to stop now."

I take her hand, but do all the work involved with me getting up. I might have imagined the thankful glance she gave me, because it was gone so quick, but I like to believe it was real.

She walks ahead of me, over a bridge that crosses a deep and clear river, and down a path of dirt. She obviously knows the way, and with every step I can see her excitement growing.

"Yona!" A voice yells from ahead of us. My bodyguard, who had been walking silently, staring at her feet, perks up and searches for the noise. No one is on the path ahead of us, nor behind us, but this realization only makes her smirk. Before I can even comprehend what was happening, she's leaping into one of the centuries-old oaks around us, nimbly switching branches with the grace of someone who's been doing this her whole life.

She tackles a boy with thick, shaggy blond hair, sending them both tumbling down onto the wide branch below. All I can hear from them is squealing. Yona's hugging the small boy and bouncing up and down with excitement, while he's trying to scramble away half-heartedly.

After a few minutes of conversation I can't hear, the boy gestures down at me. Yona follows his motion, and looks almost surprised to see me there. _Thanks_. I stick my tongue out and her, and she returns the favor, before replying to the young boy. She scoops him up, an action that he doesn't seem welcoming of, before gracefully jumping from tree branch to tree branch down to the ground.

She lands in front of me, and allows the boy to spring out of her arms. "This is Kuzo!" She says excitably.

Kuzo stands by her, scrutinizing me carefully. He either finds what he was looking for, or gives up, because he turns back to Yona and in an innocent voice comments, "I can see why they fired him."

I was about to question exactly what he was talking about, but Yona's face silences me. Her finger is pressed to her lips, her eyes wide and commanding. I frown at her, but keep quiet.

Luckily, the boy notices nothing amiss, and starts babbling about who Yona has to go meet first, and who missed her the most, and that now that she was back she needed to teach him some super-cool attacks.

She ruffles his hair with a smile, and promises she teach him all kinds of supercool attacks to make up for her absence. Before I even realize it, they're continuing down the path without me. I hurry to catch up, and fall into step beside them, eavesdropping as Kuzo explains everything that's happen in her absence. Yona smiles at all the right moments, laughs at pranks that have been carried out in her memory. She frowns mournfully as he explains the death of a village elder, and he promises to take her to the grave to pay her respects.

Before I know it, we're in town, and Yona's name is being called from all sides. My bodyguard flits around, holding a conversation here, tasting some food over there, playing with a group of children off to the side of the road. I follow her as best I can while she talks with a pregnant woman, before being pulled away to examine a teenaged boy's new bow he made.

It's overwhelming how many people know her, and downright amazing to see how well she handles all of them. Even more impressive is the fact that while the distractions have slowed her down quite a lot, she's kept heading in the direction of the castle situated in the middle of the sprawling city.

I lose sight of her in the crowd at one point, but before I can start freaking out, she appears again at my side. "C'mon, you slowpoke. We'll never get there if you keep dragging your feet."

"You're the one who has to stop and talk to every single person we pass." I tease.

She sticks her tongue out at me before tugging me along with her hand. Our pace doesn't improve, because she's still talking to literally everyone, but it's nicer when she's making me stay close. A group of old ladies she's talking with points out our interlocked hands, giggling and hiding their faces like schoolgirls.

Yona laughs back, but I don't miss the way her face flushes. "It's not what you think! I just can't trust him not to get lost and kidnapped."

"That was one time!" I exclaim.

She giggles and shoots back at me, "y'know, most people never get kidnapped in their entire life."

I pout at her, causing the old ladies to break into another round of giggles. "I don't know why you're denying it, Yona. You guys even fight like a married couple."

Her face reddens at that, and she throws my hand down swiftly. We leave the old ladies to their giggling. We continue to head toward the castle, and, much to my pleasure, as soon as she deems us past the old ladies vision range, Yona grabs my hand back.

"Can't have you getting kidnapped." She says as a way of explaining.

"I'm not even a kid anymore!" I argue, but grip her hand anyway.

After a few more detours to talk to people who know Yona, we've made it to the giant drawbridge that links the land on either side of the lake surrounding the castle.

The gatekeepers are two teenage boys, who wave us through as soon as they see Yona. They call after her to come and talk to them after their shift ends. She responds with an affirmative, yelled over her shoulder.

As soon as she steps over the threshold she stops, staring at the chubby, pleasant looking man in front of us. He'd obviously been waiting. News travels fast, I suppose.

"Papa.." She says, before launching herself into his arms. I stand back, awkwardly, watching father and daughter reunite for the first time in three years.

After an uncomfortably long hug, her father steps back and examines her. "It's been far too long, Yona." He tilts his head to the side, and smiles a melancholic smile. "It's nice to see that you've become everything I never wanted you to be."

* * *

><p>Papa steps back and rakes his eyes across me. His eyes pause at the scrapes that cover me from our fall earlier, and the mud that has probably irrevocably stained the expensive kimono I wore. He even sees the blood stain that was a result of me hitting the ground wrong saving Hak earlier. I had been dutifully keeping it from the Princes sight, lest he blame himself, or freak out. After all, coughing up blood is generally something to be concerned about. His eyes also stopped at the sword strapped securely to my obi. My peace loving father tilts his head a bit, and before he closed them I saw the faintest glimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. He smiled wistfully.<p>

"It's nice to see that you've become everything I never wanted you to be."

I smile back, because to me, that is a compliment of the highest order. He had never wanted his daughter to even pick up a weapon, much less fight for a living, but they don't call me strong-willed for nothing. I had trained in secret at first, picking up a tutor along the way, then I had simply told him I would fight, and that he couldn't stop me.

To my fathers credit, he had simply smiled a tight smile and said, "I know."

His reaction had been much stronger when Mundok appointed me as his sons bodyguard, but eventually, he accepted that too. It helped that we had been childhood friends for a few years by then. It also helped for him to see how protective I was of Hak, it resonated with some part of him. Or maybe he just felt bad about how helpless Hak was. It wasn't really his fault, he didn't want to be raised as a Prince. In fact, I found it slightly adorable.

A cough draws my attention away from my rambling thoughts, and back to the boy who was at the forefront of them. "Papa, could you get someone to prepare a room for my friend? He's had a long journey, and you and I have much to talk about."

"But-" Hak begins to argue. A servant appears and attempts to lead him away, but instead he closes the distance between us and grabs my hands in his. "Promise you'll come back?" He says, his gaze intense and pleading.

I let my face melt into a smile before I reply. "I'll always come back if you want me to."

He smirks. "Well, I guess you'll keep coming back forever." Then he lets the guard lead him away.

My mind blanks as I turn back to my father, who smiles at me knowingly.

"I'll have some tea prepared. I take it this will take a while."

I nod the affirmative, and he leads me up a winding staircase to his quarters.

* * *

><p>After I'm done spinning the tale that had me running back home, papa asks the question that I had been avoiding. "What will you do now?"<p>

"Survive, I suppose." I reply. We are both entirely too aware that I was avoiding the question, but thankfully, Papa has always been good at knowing when to drop it.

"I was called to a meeting of the generals." He says evenly. "I believe, after what you told me, that it will be about our approval for crowning Soo-won king."

My breath catches in my throat. It was logical that he would take Hak's rightful place now, but I hadn't given it any actual thought to come to that conclusion.

"When I go, I will accept him as the new king of Kouka."

I splutter at that. "How could you?! Even after you know what he's done to get the throne?!" I argue shrilly.

"That's exactly the reason I will accept. If he's already killed Mundok, the man he loved like family, what would stop him from killing me? From launching a full scale attack on the sky tribe? If what you tell me is true, his loyalty is shallower than a puddle. I must put the protection of my people above my sense of righteousness."

I deflate at his words. His reasons are valid, but a fire of indignation is still burning in my chest.

"Plus, it hardly seems as though Hak is ready to claim the throne. And, a king is a necessity as of right now. We have countries on either side of us just waiting for us to let our guard down. Soo-won May be a ruthless man, but he will not let the kingdom fall into disrepair."

The fire of indignation simmers down till it's just embers. Papa was always good at soothing my fiery soul. The embers still provoke me to do something, so I promise that which can't happen just yet. _Eventually, I will give you back your throne, Hak. I swear._

"So, what else has happened since I last saw my darling daughter?" He asks, an obvious attempt to take my mind off of the events of the past few nights.

I humor him, regaling him with tales of pranks that the Hak-Yona-Soo-won trio had played over the years. He laughed especially hard at the time we had snuck out in the dead of night to throw soap in the grand fountain. We had stayed out till morning, using the ridiculous amount of bubbles to play a bastardized hide-n-seek. Mundok had been absolutely furious with us, but by the time he had found out, we were all situated on the roof, the one place he had never thought to look for us.

Tears prick at my eyes. I had never expected those carefree days to end, and now that they have, it's hard to figure out what's next.

"I must be at the castle by dusk tomorrow. For now, I think it would be best if you retired to your quarters. It's been a long day." Papa says, standing up. "You are welcome to stay until you figure out your next move. You are welcome to stay forever, though I know you won't."

"You do know me far too well, Papa." I reply.

"I suppose so." He replies. "Well, you know the way. No one has touched your room since you last visited."

He closes the door softly behind me while I decide what to do. I don't feel tired, instead, my mind is buzzing with questions only one person can answer. I wish I had time to talk before we left but... The evidence was clear. And incriminating. And it wasn't as though I could sneak both me and Hak into the castle, and Hak would most definitely not let me go alone.

And even then, would Soo-won even answer?

I shake my head in a vain attempt to get my thoughts in order. Okay, what needs to be done? I need to get to bed, but I can't with these racing thoughts, and I know there's no way I can drift off without making sure Hak's okay. With these stipulations in mind, I create my master plan of falling asleep.

Step 1: Get some booze.

Step 2: Make sure Haks still breathing.

Step 3: Drink myself to sleep.

Normally, I wasn't big on alcohol, but anything to slow my wild thoughts was welcome right now.

I sneakily sneak to the kitchen. My search bears no fruit for the first few minutes, until I decide that a certain rug looked mildly suspicious. I drag it to the side, uncovering a cellar.

Opening the trapdoor reveals rows upon rows of booze in various forms._ Jackpot_. I grab the largest one in reach and depart swiftly. I make sure to pull the rug back over the trapdoor before I embark on step 2 of my plan, heading in the vague direction I saw a servant take Hak earlier.

It soon becomes apparent that finding Hak will not be a simple task, considering the enormity of my home and the fact that there are hundreds of rooms he could currently be in. Instead of letting this discourage me, I smirk. I love a challenge.

I open the bottle of alcohol I swiped, gulping down the burning liquid before continuing in my quest. I stumble through the halls, skillfully avoiding the gaze of guards and servants alike. I sway into rooms, most empty, some occupied, but none occupied by Hak.

I take another few swigs after I climb the stairs, having exhausted all the options in the ground floor hall. I open more doors quietly, just in case their occupants are light sleepers, but I find no trace of Hak. Worry has yet to grasp me, but it's close.

Soon, I come to my door, which I open purely from curiosity. To my surprise, a head covered with messy black hair is resting on my pillow. Embarrassment floods me as I look around my room. It's filled to the brim with stuffed animals, jewelry, anything pink that I could lay my hands on, along with various children's toys. The walls were painted pink, for god sakes, with purple trimming.

I had gone through a _very_ girly phase, and by the time I made it out the other side I was already the Princes full-time bodyguard, living at the castle. In the short trips home I had, it had never seemed worth it to change the decor.

I go over to the side of the bed. Hak is sleeping, his face slack and peaceful. It's comforting to see. The Sky tribes capital is very close to the castle, so we only had to spend one day outside, but it was a restless night, filled with Hak's endless nightmares. I had wanted to get a room at an inn, but I couldn't risk the chance that we'd be recognized, especially when we were that close to the castle. The Princes life is more important than his comfort.

Speaking of his comfort, he was looking quite snug. The only problem was the fact he was in _my_ bed.

I was torn. On one hand I wanted to kick him out, find the servant who brought him here, and give them a piece of my mind. On the other hand, his face was so peaceful, and if I'm being honest, he looked kind of... Cute.

I was saved the hassle of deciding when his eyes opened. They were glossy and unfocused, hinting that he wasn't _really_ awake.

"Why are you in my room?" I ask, only slurring slightly.

"Asked for it... S'cute." He says. I flush at his words.

"W-Why are you in my bed?" I ask, slightly flustered that he called my pink train wreck of a room cute.

"Took too long... S'comfy."

"Will you leave?" I ask. I know, deep down, he won't say yes, but it would be quite a bit easier.

"I-I thought you said you wouldn't leave me alone." He pouts. _Adorable. _

"This wasn't exactly... What I meant." My words fall on deaf ears, because once again, Prince Hak is dead to the world. "Well, this is your fault, don't blame me in the morning."

I walk to the other side of the bed, take swig of alcohol, and curl up above the covers. The alcohol did it's job, and I drift off to the soothing noise of Hak's breaths with no thoughts.

* * *

><p>AN: You guys get a super duper long chapter, because I got so many kind reviews! It was seriously the best, all you guy are so kind. I can't even handle it. Normally my chapters are just shy of 3,000 words but this one was 5,000! Holla! But really, Thankyou so much for reviewing, it really means a lot to us authors. t. .


	3. The ways I need you

"...ey. Wake up.."

I roll over, refusing to obey the voice wriggling it's way into the darkness I love. A sharp prod is directed at my side, obviously more foolish attempts to wake me. This time, I give the effort to mumble a few words. God knows what they were, but they were most definitely words. Hopefully, whatever they were, they meant 'go away'.

If they did, the offending person was not listening, because I was poked again, right under my armpit. I let out a pitiful squeal, burrowing down into blankets and away from whoever deemed it necessary to poke me where I was ticklish.

"...gonna be... Wake up..." Words drift into the darkness that had not fully left me yet. I chose to ignore them. After a few seconds, in which I actually thought they might've left, hands start attacking me.

I spring up immediately, squealing and giggling. My attacker does not relent, even as I roll and flail desperately to get them off. They're pinning me down, and in normal circumstances I'm sure I could flip them off, but there's something about being tickled that saps all my strength.

I wriggle, squeal, flail, thrash and shove, but nothing stops the onslaught.

"I'm _hehehe_ awake!" I gasp out. This seems to be what they were looking for, since it placates my attacker, who stops their assault. They don't remove themselves from me though, which is something I'll be sure they regret.

I finally crack open my eyes and see- Hak. Of course, the one person I can't brutally murder to placate my tickled soul. He's on top of me, pinning me to the bed, and if I wasn't feeling so damn aggravated, I would've been blushing.

"How early is it?" I grumble. "And why, exactly, was that necessary?"

"Uh, I'd say it's around 6."

I explode at that, "Why in the world would you need to wake me up at six?! And by tickling me, no less! If you were literally anyone else I would've killed you. I'm not even joking. You would be so dead. _So dead_."

"Well, I'm glad I'm me then." He responds. After his answer my short tirade, he acknowledges my other question. "I'm hungry."

I stare at him blankly for a good few seconds, before throwing him off me and rolling over. "Go get some food then. By yourself."

"I don't know where the kitchen is." He explains.

"Ground floor, last room in the first hall on the right." I wait a few seconds for the sound of him leaving, but it never comes. I glance up to find him sitting cross-legged, staring at me. "What?" I ask gruffly.

He doesn't answer. Instead, his face shifts into a pout. I watch him for a moment, but still he doesn't respond. Slowly, ever so slowly, his face starts getting red. He's approaching tomato status when I finally figure it out.

And promptly start howling with laughter. He pounces on me, fueled by embarrassment, and attempts to assault my sides again. I'm quicker this time though, kicking him off onto the floor before he can reach my weakness.

"So-" I start, in between laughs, "Let me get this straight." He's pouting at me again, an adorable face on him. "You have literally _never_ made yourself food?"

"There was always servants, ready and willing to make it for me. There wasn't ever a need." He grumbles, obviously discomfited.

I hop off the bed, fully awake now. "I'll show you how, so that you never have to wake me up again, mkay?" I say, holding out my hand to help him up. He takes it gratefully, his face still tinged red.

He follows me silently down to the kitchen, obviously still embarrassed. It's kind of cute, to be honest.

Once in the kitchen, I spin to face him. He's still pouting, gaze turned downward, so I end up ducking a bit to get into his line of sight. I smile up at his down turned lips, a vague attempt at comforting him, before asking, "So, what are you feeling this morning, Prince?"

He jerks when I speak, staring at me for a split second like he forgot I was there. Thanks. Then, he screws up his face into a pondering expression.

"Uh... Pancakes." He says finally. I shake my head. Of course the prince wouldn't want something easy to prepare, like an orange.

"Okay, well, could you get me some flour from that cupboard?" I ask, pointing to a dark, wooden cupboard on the far side of the kitchen. While he does that, I busy myself with getting out eggs and milk from the fridge.

"Uh, Yona?" Hak asks, sounding hesitant. I hum an affirmative at him, signaling for him to continue. "What exactly does 'flour' look like? I'm not looking for flowers, right?"

I can't help myself. The combination of the hesitance in his voice, the way he pronounced 'flour' as though it was a foreign and odd word, and the fact that the 'flour' was literally inches from his nose all come together to ensure I'm incapacitated by laughter for a good minute.

He blushes and pounces on me, deeming my mockery of him worth the punishment of tickling. Luckily for me, when I'm actually awake he's no match for me. I kick him off before he can enact his dastardly plan, but to my surprise he takes hold of my ankle as he flies through the air.

I flail my leg wildly, managing to get it out of his grasp before he can attack the other spot I was ticklish.

I start giggling again, for a different reason this time. Hak looks ready to set upon me anew, but he stops when I declare, "You're getting better."

He stops dead, looking for all the world like my compliment was the best present ever. I turn away to hide my blush.

"You should train me more! Especially now, I can't just be taken care of by you." He declares. His face is proud and determined.

I wave my hand lazily in the air. "If you wanted me to, I would take care of you till you die. Like I said, I'm a tool. Your tool. There's no need for you to learn any kind of fighting." I sigh. Images of bloody fields and red-washed hands come back to me without request. Even peaceful times had skirmishes, and, as the best of the best, I was rarely spared the bloodshed. I didn't want that for the Prince. Still, I could see the reasoning behind his request, and it wasn't as though I could deny him anyway. "But, Prince, your wish is my command. I will teach you what you want to know."

He smiles at that.

I smile back, though I can't say I want to.

* * *

><p>Soo-won gazed out at the throng of people. There were old people and young children, and everything in-between. They milled, stared, gossiped. The coronation had gone smoothly, very smoothly. He had almost been hoping Yona and Hak would burst in, screaming insults and truths and other nasty things.<p>

They hadn't. He wasn't all that disappointed. Really.

He wondered, in what little free time he had, what they had done. Where they had gone. If it had been just Hak, he would have assumed him dead. But Yona had always been a resourceful and cunning girl.

And her loyalty to Hak had always been without peer.

He could see it even now. Her smiling at him, protecting him, taking care of him. She would make sure he ate, and checked all his food for poison. He knew why too. Girls like Yona, who had grown up bloody and tainted, are normally envious of people so untouched as the prince. Yona, instead, went the other direction. She decided he must remain untouched by the horrors of the world.

But her reasons didn't change what was true. She may not love Hak, but no one held more of her heart.

Which was why Soo-won had never done anything more than one drunken kiss. Why hold only part of her heart? Why be second best?

Perhaps he was bitter, but it made him feel better.

* * *

><p>The river Yona took me to after she woke up the second time was as clear as they get. The water was cold, very cold, since it came from the melting snow in the mountains, but the day was hot.<p>

Yona is playing with a group of people, children to teenagers. They're seeing who'll jump off the highest branch of the giant oak tree who's boughs hung low over the river.

I'm sitting on the shore, my feet dangling into the water. I'm not joining them because I'm simply too mature for such a childish and dangerous game. Not because I'm scared of heights. Definitely not.

Yona starts walking toward me, almost certainly to get me to play her stupid game. I turn away pointedly, hoping she understands that I'm not interested. She sits by me anyway, either too oblivious or too determined to listen to my body language.

"Sooo, Maela just jumped off of the highest branch so far, and no one wants to beat her. But I believe you can do it!" She challenges. Her wet hair is clinging to her face, and i have to consciously control myself to not stare at her mostly-exposed body.

"Why don't you?" I ask, petulantly.

"They disqualified me after I jumped off the top." She explains, shrugging. I stare at her for a second, switch my gaze to the top of the tree, which is considerably higher than all the others around it, and decidedly past the survivable point. I look back at Yona, and see no hint of deception in her large, expressive eyes.

Shaking my head, I half-jokingly ask, "Are you even human?"

"They used to say I wasn't." She laments. I look over to see her gazing off into the distance, the same faraway look she would get after coming back from a trip out of the capital. She would never give straight answers about where she went or what she did, so eventually I stopped trying to find out. The only clues I got were the dumbstruck looks of all who had accompanied her, along with how they stayed far away from Yona after they came back.

"Maybe I'm not." The words come out whispered. I doubt they were meant for my ears, because after they fall from her lips she shakes her head, as though to banish her thoughts. She turns back to me, a smirk on her face and mischief in her eyes.

"So, about that game-"

"No." I cut her off.

"Why?" She tilts her head. "Scared? Of heights, perhaps?"

"Of course not." I rebuff, in the haughtiest voice I have. "I'm simply too mature for such a childish game."

"Hmm, I doubt that, considering you're one of the most childish people I know."

"Hey!"

"I think, your just _scared._" She taunts.

"Am not!" I yell, causing a few of the kids to look over.

"Oh really? Don't think I've forgotten how much you would tremble when we climbed to the treehouse."

"I never trembled!" I dispute, but slowly, I'm coming to realize this is a losing battle.

"Oh? Were you just cold then? In the middle of summer?" She questions.

"I am _not_ scared of heights!" I holler, already moving towards the tree. I can almost feel Yona's smirk, but it doesn't matter, because I am _not_ scared of heights.

I hook one hand over the lowest branch and drag myself up, immediately switching my attention to climbing to the next one. The game plan is to go quickly, without looking down or acknowledging how high I was.

I've been climbing for a good few minutes when I hear Yona's yell, "Only a few more to go! You just have to get to the one with a fork and then another fork!"

I have no time to contemplate exactly which branch she means by that, because her yell makes me look down, and consequently makes me realize exactly how high I am.

And that consequently makes me grab on to the tree trunk for dear life. I'm at least twice as high as the treehouse, and without a house around me. The people playing in the river look so small, like bugs almost. Okay, large bugs, but still.

It's enough to make my stomach turn. I'm white-knuckle hugging the tree trunk, hanging on for dear life, while Yona yells encouragements from the bottom. I shake my head, paralyzed. There is no way I can keep going, I'm already far too high.

After a few seconds, Yona stops yelling. I peek over the edge, and am rewarded by another stomach turn. Tears start to prick at my eyes, accompanied by thoughts about how I'll be stuck up here until I die or fall and die.

And then Yona's in front of me and the tears are pouring down because I was just so _scared_ and how could she make me do this?

She gathers me up into her arms and sets me onto her lap, gently rocking back and forth. The tender gesture conjures up memories of Mundok comforting me, which brings a whole new wave of sadness. The truth that I hadn't wanted to face slams into me uncontrollably.

I let out a mournful wail for everything I lost. I hadn't even tried to come to terms with it before, and I was paying for it dearly now. Yona shifts under me and I cling to her, fear of her being ripped away from me just like everything else flows through me. She stills and tightens her grip around me.

I cry into her chest, blubbers, wails, and whimpers escape me, along with other extremely embarrassing noises. I attempt to pull myself together, but Yona's soft whisper of 'let it all out.' Sends me right back into hysterics.

I cry for what feels like hours. All that time, Yona was rubbing my back and whispering sweet nothings at me. When the last pitiful hiccup escapes from my body, I feel so empty and used up that I fall asleep almost immediately.

* * *

><p>The first thing I notice is that the side of my face is wet, and warm. It's a peculiar and mildly disconcerting feeling. Blearily, I raise my head and am met with a pair of enormous eyes. They catch what little light there is, glowing an ethereal purple. They regard me silently, enticing me to be the one to break the silence.<p>

"Why?" I implore. The eyes tilt a bit to the side, signaling without words for me to elaborate. "Why did you make me do this? You knew I was afraid of heights." I accuse. After my breakdown earlier it doesn't seem like such a big deal to confess my fear of heights, especially since she already knew.

"Because..." She pauses, closes her eyes, and lets out a long-suffering sigh. "Because, you're going to have to face your worst fears if you ever want your rightful place on the throne back. I figured I would give you some practice before things got serious." Her eyes reopen, staring at me with an intensity I can't quite place. "And, because I need you to know that if your fears turn out to be too much for you, I'll always be here. Always."

I wriggle my hands around her back and squeeze her tight. "I'll need you here. I don't want to do this alone."

"You won't have to."

I peel myself off Yona and chance a glance downward. Darkness spirals out below me, with no hint as to where the ground is. I can remember enough to know its a long way down, though. The familiar feeling of vertigo grips me, but it really doesn't seem all that bad when I'm sitting in Yona's lap.

"Ready to go?" Yona asks, bringing my attention back to her.

"Yes." I answer.

She scoops me up smoothly before I can even register it. "Good, because we're taking the fast way down."

I attempt to argue against that idea, but the words are ripped out of my mouth because we're already free falling. Yona's hooting joyfully, giggles worming their way out between yells. I'm clutching her like I'm a five year old and she's my teddy bear, but I still managed to let out a half-terrified half-exhilarated yell.

It's over far too soon, and we're plunged into the icy river. The cold water is shocking. It jolts my body like electricity. Thankfully, my surprised gasp is cut off by Yona's hand, successfully preventing any water from getting into my mouth.

I can't see anything in the water, but before I can panic Yona is dragging us out. She flops down on the shore, letting me flop beside her. I find myself shivering. The river is still very cold, and without the warm sun to counterbalance it, I'm freezing.

Soft giggling floats through the cool night air, and when I turn to look at Yona, she's illuminated by a moonbeam. She looks absolutely beautiful, with her face displaying pure joy and her wet hair sticking to her face.

Her giggles draw out my own, and we simply sit there for a few minutes, laughing. Once silence had reigned for a few moments, she gets up and proffers me a hand. I take it willingly.

"Well, I'm freezing to death, so I say we should go home and take a long, hot bath."

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>I stay in the baths for a long time, plotting and planning. Truthfully, I have no real idea how I'm going to give the Prince his throne back, but I know I have to.<p>

I rub my head. All the convoluted plans I had been concocting had only succeeded in giving me a raging headache, which made my plotting even less effective. Deeming the matter something that can wait until my dad gets home tomorrow, I climb out and dry myself off.

Once I'm dried and back in my clothes I return to my room to find a certain prince in my bed. Surprise, surprise.

I walk up to the bedside and smirk when I detect a hint of a smile on his face. "Leave." I command with false cheer.

His face twitches just a bit, but it's enough to alert me that he is indeed awake. "Don't even try with me, Prince. Get out. You can sleep in literally almost every other room."

He cracks his eyes open and glares at me, obviously upset that I had seen through his ruse.

Unexpectedly, his face shifts into one of the more pitiful and adorable faces I've seen him make. "B-b-but the other rooms don't have _you_."

I literally stumble backwards, my face heating up. I stare at him, dumbfounded, long enough to see his face morph into a evil grin.

"Hahaha! You should've seen your face!" He cackles, completely removing any trace amounts of cute he may have had.

I stand up, grab the still chuckling Prince and haul him out of my room. I plop him unceremoniously in the hallway, turn around, and slam the door shut. I hear a few muffled protests, but he doesn't come back in.

I crawl under the blankets, which are delightfully warm from Hak. I'm easily coerced into relaxing, wrapped in warm and luxurious blankets with a silk pillow under my head. Before I even register it, I'm out like a light.

* * *

><p>Late that night, I'm awakened from the sound of the door being hesitantly pushed open. I lazily glance towards it, and am unsurprised to see Hak.<p>

"I have nightmares." He explains. I already knew as much, and even if I hadn't, his swollen eyes and ruffled appearance would've clued me in. He hesitates at the door for just a second before walking over. "Scootch. That's an order."

I bury my smirk in my pillow, but comply. I even lift the blankets up for him. Once he's settled beside me, I speak. "You can sleep with me whenever you need to. Just don't be a dick about it."

Well, maybe that was worded wrong, but whatever. I'm far too sleepy to give any craps.

I wouldn't know for years that that comment kept him up half the night, blushing madly.

* * *

><p>AN: so, not too much in the way of plot happened in this chapter, and I'm sorry about that. I really want to build up their relationship though, I just love this dynamic. Sorry it's so short too. I'm going to try not to go into Mary-Sue territory regarding Yona, but I do want her to be a badass.


	4. Once tainted, always tainted

Sunlight streams through the large windows and directly into my eyes, causing a rather rude wake up. Argh. I curse myself for not drawing the curtains the night before and angrily turn over, but the damage has been done. There was no way I could get back into any kind of deep or meaningful sleep, so I forcibly push myself up and glare at nothing in particular. Beside me, the Prince is still dead to the world. He looks peaceful.

Very peaceful. I'm kind of jealous.

His hair is messy, falling every which way. I get the sudden urge to run my hands through it. I know from experience that the prince's hair is exceptionally soft, and that combined with his cute sleeping face was almost too much. As I watch, his countenance twitches into a concerned expression, forehead wrinkled and mouth pouted, then smooths back out into blissful peace. His long, dark eyelashes flutter, but his eyes don't open.

I aggressively shake my head after I realize I had been drowsily staring at Hak for a good few minutes. Thank god he's not awake to see this.

I should probably go before he does wake up. I carefully swing my legs over the side of the bed. He doesn't stir, so I get up and softly pad to the door. Opening and closing it soundlessly, I emerge into the hallway. There isn't a soul to be seen, making even my soft footsteps seem loud and foreboding.

The kitchen is empty too, which is perfect for me. I never liked having to socialize in the morning. I rummage in the drawer I know the tea is in, and am rewarded with my favorite comfort tea, chai. After today, who knows when I'll be able to drink it again. I sway back and forth smoothly as I fill up the teapot, humming a sleepy tune. I set the full teapot on the stove and wait for the tell-tale whistling that will signal its completion.

"Up so early? That's unlike you." The voice startles me, and I whirl around in a fighting stance before I can register who it is.

I blink slowly at papa, who hadn't even flinched at my violent turn. Straightening, I explain, "S'too damn sunny."

He smiles bubbly at my words. "But without the sun, we would not be warm, correct?"

Hmm. Next to sleep, warmth is probably my favorite thing. "I guess you have a point. Could the sun just be warm and not bright though?"

"No. And even if it was, then everything would be dark all the time."

I grumble at him, but thankfully I don't have to actually reply because a shrill whistling breaks through the air. I swiftly grab the teapot off the stove and plop my tea bag in there. Staring absentmindedly at the liquid slowly turning dark, it surprises me when papa speaks, "Is there enough for two cups?"

I stare at him, perplexed. He had always hated my taste in teas, spices and sweetness were not his thing. He quite liked minty teas, which I couldn't stand. There was no way he thought my tea was anything but chai, since the rich scent was hanging heavily in the air around us. I stare at his face, and find that while he was smiling his usually blissful smile, he looked sad.

And then I understand. "Yeah, papa, there is." I say with a smile that mirrors his.

I pour the tea carefully, give papa his, then get to work on making mine liquid diabetes.

"You're leaving soon." He states while I pour obnoxious amounts of sugar into the tea.

"Tomorrow." I confirm.

"But you don't know what you will do." He announces with a knowing tone. Sometimes, his ability to see right through me is straight-up annoying.

"No," I concede, "but I have to do _something_. I can't just stand here and watch that murderous traitor rule this country." I also need to get away from this house, and this town, and all the memories that haunt this place, but I don't say that.

"It was always like you to rush in with no plan. Especially when your loved ones life is at stake. One day, fate will repeat itself, and you'll get yourself into trouble that even you cannot escape."

"And I'll take it as the highest honor, to die protecting people I love, like my mother did." I level my eyes with his. The smile hasn't slipped from his face, but his hands are clenched tightly behind his back.

"You take after her far too much." He says, and finally, he is not smiling.

"That may be the best compliment I've ever gotten." I hold my warm tea and sit at the table, watching whorls appear and disappear. He sits, too, and we are silent, both remembering a woman who was far too amazing for this dirty world.

* * *

><p>I was young then. Very young. But I still remember how warm her hands were as she guided me through crowded streets. I remember how soft her voice was when I hurt myself; how comforting and gentle her touches had been. I remember how she smelled, of cinnamon and soap and sunshine.<p>

I remember how she would read me stories every night, to keep the monsters that lived under my bed away. I remember the stuffed tiger she had brought me after I came to her room crying about darkness and death in the middle of the night. She had said that it would protect me, and keep me safe, always. I wish it would've protected her instead.

I remember the day she died, too. I force myself to, I make sure I won't forget because forgetting how such an incredible person gave their life would be the worst kind of sin.

I remember that it was sunny. It was a sweaty and sticky summer day, and I was being tugged along by warm hands, and it was uncomfortable. So I let go.

I never should have let go.

As children do, I wandered. And I wandered into a dark alley, because for all my nightmares and fears, I hadn't yet learned that monsters still exist in the daytime.

There was yelling down the alley, and I went to it, because I had always been curious. I went farther and farther down the alley, down to where no one could see. But I saw. I saw a group of men, old men; young men. I saw them kicking a crying girl, and I knew, as young as I was, that it was _wrong_.

I've always been impulsive, and naive. Instead of running and finding someone who could take down a group of angry men, I decided to yell at them. "Hey!" My voice was small, and there was a slight tremble. "Stop that! You're hurting her!"

One of the guys turned to face me, and as soon as I met his eyes I knew I had made a grave mistake. As it turns out, angry men don't like to be yelled at.

I still remember his dark eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had lost their soul years ago, and had never made any attempt to get it back. I remember his voice too, high-pitched, excited almost, but the tone was all wrong.

"Looks like we have an audience." He grinned, baring all his yellow and rotten teeth. "But we can't have anyone tattling, can we? I says we shut her up."

The resounding cheer from the group was the most terrifying thing I've ever heard. I ran then, but I knew, deep within that it was far too late. A young girl, barely having celebrated her sixth birthday, wasn't going to outrun fully grown men.

This was confirmed when only a few seconds after I had started running, a strong arm latched onto my wrist. I screamed then, the loudest I ever had.

And then there was no more arm, and my mom was standing in front of me, protecting me, and everything was going to be okay.

Except it wasn't.

She was screaming at me to run, to leave, to hide, to do _anything_, but I was frozen in place. I was frozen as she hit one of them, I was frozen as he stabbed her.

I was frozen as her blood splattered across my face.

And then I wasn't, because I was running and screaming and crying. By the time I had gotten someone to go and help her, she was dead, and the men were gone.

I didn't have nightmares that night, or ever again. I think it's because my worst one had already come true.

Very soon after that, I started training so that I'd never have to lose someone again.

* * *

><p>"You're crying into your tea." I jerk up in surprise, pulled out of my memories. Papa was staring at me, smiling, but rolling down his face were fat tears that mirrored mine.<p>

"So are you." I retort. He smiles at that, and I smile back, and we mourn for the same person.

"I remember a lot about her. Everything about that day... Except, papa- I don't remember her face." Tears gush harder down my face as I whimper out the last part.

Silently he makes his way around the table and engulfs me in his arms. We both weep without words, because nothing spoken can heal this kind of wound.

After we have separated and the last hiccups have escaped my raw throat, we are quiet for a very long time. He is the one who finally breaks the contemplative silence. "I know where you should go next."

I perk up at that, excited at the hint of any plan. "Where?"

"There is a priest who communes with the gods and foretells what the future will bring. I have no doubt he will help you, should you be able to find him."

_"Should you be able to find him?_ I'm guessing he's not in a nice city somewhere?"

"You would be correct in that assumption. He lives somewhere in the Northern mountains."

"_Somewhere_? The northern mountains are _huge_!"

"Do you doubt your abilities?"

"Well, no, but it's cold up there! The prince will freeze to death."

"You are welcome to any supplies I can give you."

I sigh. "Why can't he just live in a nice city somewhere?"

"Because he was chased out." Papa says sternly.

"I know, I know, I just... It's never easy, is it?"

He shakes his head at that.

* * *

><p>I spend the day getting supplies. Traveling light is what I'm aiming for, since it will probably be me having to carry everything, but I have no idea how long it will take to find this hermit priest guy. I'm confident in my ability to hunt, but we definitely need sizable canteens. And warm clothes, especially since the prince has never been cold in his life.<p>

I pause as I pass by a weapons shop. I have no need for a new weapon, I've had the two swords my sensei bought me for years now, and I wasn't about to abandoned them. Sentimental value and all that.

But Hak had asked me to train him, and I certainly wasn't going to give him my precious swords. Fueled by a whim and the fact I could put everything on Papa's tab, I wander in. There's an old man behind the counter, polishing a short dagger.

"Haven't seen you in a while. What brings yah?" He says, without even glancing up from his polishing.

"It seems I've become a mentor. I'm here to get a suitable weapon for a beginner." I explain.

"Poor bastard." Though he was probably talking about my new student, I like to think he was pitying me. "Well, you know your way around." He says with an air of finality.

I shake my head at the unhelpful clerk, though it's true that I don't need it. I turn my attention to perusing the various weaponry displayed throughout the small shop.

What would be best for Hak?

Despite his pampered upbringing, the guy was definitely strong, so that wouldn't be an issue. I don't know how long we have until he'll need to use the skills I've taught him, so nothing complex.

Bows are fairly easy, and long range so he won't be in the thick of the fight. I decidedly want to mainly teach him long-range, to reduce the chance he'll be injured. Maybe some close-range self-defense just in case.

My eyes come to rest upon a box of throwing knifes. Kunai. They're black, with a hole at one end and a sharp blade on the other. Also inside the box is a length of chain you can attach to the end of the kunai.

It was perfect. Long range, but also usable for limited close range. I had plentiful experience with them, considering they had also been the first thing I was trained in, back when I didn't have to muscle mass to properly swing a sword.

They are also extremely versatile. Attach poison or bombs to them, and you can take out an entire group of bandits in one fell swoop. They'll never know what hit them.

And then I see Hak taking out that group of bandits. Ending lives. His pure, unmarked hands taking something so precious.

But that precious thing could also be taken from him. As much as I want to protect his innocence, I want to protect his life more. Was there any other way?

I grimace as I buy the box. I scowl when I see my perpetually bloody hands.

I take a very long walk when I think of the prince with those same hands.

* * *

><p>When I stumble home, it is dark, and Hak is in my room.<p>

"Where were you all day?" He pouts.

"We're leaving tomorrow. Early."

"What?! But I like it here." He argues.

"Then I'm leaving tomorrow."

"No! You can't leave me!" He commands.

"Oh," I begin. I pause, but a combination of masochism, the alcohol that still hung heavy on my breath and the overwhelming purity of the boy on the bed spur me on. "Oh, but Prince, I can. Because the king, the only king I was ever loyal to, is dead. Killed. I don't owe anyone anything anymore. And you have nothing to give me."

I had avoided his eyes, because while harsh words are necessary right now, I had always had a soft spot for the prince. But now I look up, and he's staring at me with such a sad face I want to break down right here.

Suddenly he's in front of me, inches from my face. He's expressionless now, eyes dull and narrow, but at least he doesn't look so sad anymore. "You're lying."

I stumble back from that, and he follows. "I can see right through you. Even with all you won't tell me, I know you better than anyone. You were never once loyal to Mundok. Or to anyone but me, for that matter."

His voice is so harsh, and I simply don't know how to react. He advances more, closing what little space was left between us. "You're scared of something." He pauses, probably contemplating what I could be so terrified of. "Not of death, because you've told me with utmost sincerity that dying for me would be the highest honor." I take another step back, and he pursues. Another step back, another step forward. My back hits the wall, and he uses that to entrap me with his arms.

He looms over me, our height difference much more apparent than usual. He ducks down to be face to face with me, his eyes staring into mine. "Of my death? Maybe, but you're a one-woman army, and if you don't want me to die, it's a certainty that I will live. Maybe it's something you can't protect me from?" He pauses. I try to say something in the silence, but all I do is open and close my mouth like a fish struggling to breath air.

"Whatever it is, it's enough for you to drink yourself into oblivion every other day and attempt to earn the hatred of the only person who matters to you."

The 'attempt' relieves me more than I could ever let him know, because it proves the fact that he was the only one who matters. Once upon a time he wasn't, but those days seem far too long ago to acknowledge.

"If I ask, you won't tell me, will you?" He smirks, but I can tell there is sadness underneath. My father has made me a master at seeing what a smile really means.

"I don't want you to have my hands." I slur slightly, proving him wrong.

His face immediately switches to confusion. He grabs one of my hands and holds it up to his face. The bloodstains don't cover them right now, which I'm very thankful for, but I can still feel it. Warm, wet. A mark that will never leave, a flag signaling all my sins. His gaze switches back and forth from my hand to my face.

He shakes his head violently. "You're impossible. I'll see you tomorrow. Early."

He then leaves, walking out the door before I can fully comprehend that he's gone. In his place is what normally surrounds me, empty air, but right now it feels a bit more empty than usual.

I slide down the wall. The room is spinning, and passing out right here doesn't seem like that bad of an idea.

So that's exactly what I do.

* * *

><p>I wake up not long after, judging by my level of intoxication. I knew it wasn't just because I was on the floor, as I had a tendency to pass out on floors and other hard surfaces, and it had never bothered me before.<p>

I focus for a second. No light to wake me, no- there. A sniffling noise? Its coming from the hallway, and it was very quiet. Quiet enough most people probably wouldn't have heard it and would still be peacefully asleep. I wasn't most people though, a fact that had been repeatedly shoved in my face throughout my life.

I crawl to the door, because getting up seems like far too much work. I use the doorknob to drag myself to a standing position before stumbling into the hallway-

And stumbling right over a body lying across my doorway. "Oof-!"

I fall on the floor with no grace, and there is a serious temptation to just not move and fall back asleep. The need to confirm who the person laying across my entrance is greater though, and it spurs me into moving. I push myself up, and am unsurprised to see Hak staring at me with swollen, half-lidded eyes. Nightmares again. One of the few things I couldn't protect him from.

"You didn't make it very far." I tease lightheartedly.

"S'pose not. Had to make sure you wouldn't leave." Sleepiness and tears blur his words, but the message comes through loud and clear.

"Hey... I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

I lift the prince up princess style. He lays limp in my hands. I doubt he's actually awake, as he has a tendency to sleep talk and forget about it the next morning.

Carrying him into my room, I lay him down on the bed gently and crawl under the covers beside him.

"Goodnight." I get no reply.

* * *

><p>Morning comes far too soon, but I force myself awake. The prince is still sleeping soundly, so I let him continue as I go through my morning routine.<p>

The extremely pink vanity in the corner is still my go-to for any appearance related preparations, mostly because of the giant, clear mirror. My old, black comb was still exactly where I left it. Slowly, I reach for it and hold it in front of me.

It's just a comb, a regular old comb, but it's the comb my mom used to brush my hair with, and I've always been foolishly sentimental.

I can almost hear her soothing voice, 'oh, Yona, you have such pretty hair. Never cut it, okay?'

I squish my eyes shut as tight as I can. Being home this long really isn't good for me.

I never have cut my hair though. It hangs in long red tangles right now, which I fix with a few swipes of the comb. It will never be straight, no matter what I do to it, but things like that stopped mattering a long time ago.

I pull it up into my go-to hairstyle, a high ponytail. Long hair was impractical for battle, I know that, and if it was ever a hindrance in my protection of the prince I would gladly chop it all off, but... For as long as I can, I want to keep it long.

I wander into the closet connected to my room, looking for the lightest weight clothes I can get that still provide some protection.

After a bit of looking, I decide on a kimono-style tunic with hidden pockets and clasps for weapons, and black pants that are loose enough to allow for movement, but tight enough so they won't get caught on thorns or swords.

I wander back into the room. I'm greeted by the sight of the prince, awake now, stretching and yawning. He wipes little teardrops from the corners of his eyes, and focuses blearily on me. "Time to go?"

His only answer is a nod, but he still practically jumps out of bed. I walk over to the edge of the room, grab the bag I had left there during last nights events, and shove it into his hands.

"Huh?" He questions.

"Clothes. You couldn't really have expected I would let you wear that flimsy thing?"

He glances down at his regal attire before pouting at me. I gesture vaguely towards the closet; he gets the hint and goes in there to change. While he's doing that I get the kunai I had bought out. I swipe a few, but ready the rest to give to him.

He emerges from the dressing room, seemingly competent enough to dress himself. I meet him halfway, carry the chain and kunai in my hands.

"This is what I'll be training you in." I explain, presenting the kunai.

He looks at them skeptically, and when he doesn't make any move to take them I sigh and open the front of his shirt.

"Wha-?!" He lets out a surprised gasp. I glance up at him, a sly smile spreading across my face when I see that he's blushing. I place a few kunai in one of the inner pockets of his shirt, the feature that coerced me into buying it. The best weapon is a weapon your enemy doesn't know is there.

This seems to answer his question, because he takes some kunai from my hand and shoves them into another pocket. After a few seconds, all the kunai are hidden somewhere on his person. He purposefully pulls his shirt closed, his face still a lovely shade of red.

I turn away, giving him a chance to regain his composure. "Ready to go?" I call over my shoulder.

I don't wait for an answer before I step out into the hall, the only one I need is his footsteps following behind me.

We make it out onto the steps, where papa is waiting for me. I walk up beside him, and we are quiet for a few moments.

"Goodbye, Yona." He finally says. "Do come back in one piece."

"I'll try, no promises though." I reply. I learned a long time ago to not make promises I couldn't keep.

I wrap my arms around him then. He engulfs me back, and we stay still like that for a few minutes before separating.

"Bye, Papa."

"Goodbye, Yona."

I blink away the start of tears collecting in my eyes, wave once, and turn away.

And then we're off.

* * *

><p>We make it quite a ways before I notice the prince getting tired.<p>

"Do you want to stop?"

"No." He gasps out. The fact he gasps it out proves that he does indeed need to stop. I plop down on a tree root without further discussion, and to my surprise he flops next to me without argument. We sit there for a few moments while he catches his breath. "These knives are heavy." He complains.

"It will make you stronger."

"Ugh."

And then I stand and start walking. He follows close behind.

Over the next few days, we continue on like that. We stop and sleep at night, take short breaks during the day. I catch and cook food, and we fill up our canteens every time we come across water. I begin training him, after he pesters me about it a few times.

And then, finally, we make it to the Northern mountains.

And everything goes to shit.

* * *

><p>AN: hey guys! Not really sure how I feel about this chapter, I guess once you've read something this many times you can't tell if it's good or bad anymore. Please review, I would love to hear your thoughts. Suggestions, constructive criticism, and compliments are all welcome. Hell, flame if you want.

And, a sincere Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, or followed. You guys are what inspires me to keep writing. Have a good day, everyone!


	5. All the dark things

A/N:hey guys, not all that happy with this chapter, but I can't really tell why. It'd be cool if you could review and leave me your thoughts on it, positive or negative, but it's not a big deal.

Also, a anonymous user called random stranger left a lovely review and I wanted to thank them. Your review wasn't useless at all, nice reviews like that really help inspire me to keep writing. Thank you very much for your review, and I'm honored you like my story so much.

* * *

><p>Kan Tae-Jun, second son of the fire tribe general, sat on his balcony staring out over the bustling fire tribe capital. His bottom lip was purposefully jutted out, and his eyes were distant, staring not at the sky, nor the city, but something in his minds eye that he believed to be far more beautiful.<p>

He was childishly sulking about the recent disappearance of Yona, the only girl to ever truly capture his fleeting attention. He was mostly sulking over the fact that he couldn't watch her practice anymore, as that was really the only way he knew her. Still, her being gone meant there wouldn't be any opportunities to get to know her, which he thought was a valid reason to sulk.

It didn't matter though, because watching her practice was enough. The grace she moved with, the steel will under every stance, her exhilarated and flushed face after a sparring session, it was all so captivating. It was pure art. It was enough to infatuate him with her.

He didn't pay any attention to the fact that the only time he had attempted to talk to her, he was duly ignored in favor of the Prince. He also didn't pay attention to the fact that he was venomously glared at every time he was caught watching her practice. It was obvious that she was simply embarrassed that someone as high-ranked as him would observe her.

If she would only come back, he was certain he could capture her attention and affection in no time flat. Especially with the pesky prince out of the way.

"SIR!" Rudely, a forceful and annoyingly loud voice broke through his brooding. Ugh. Guards, can't live with 'em, can't Iive without 'em.

"Can't you see I'm moping?" Answers Kan Tae-Jun, second son of the fire tribe general.

"Sir, I have important news, sir!"

"How important?" He asks, skeptically. He had his doubts about the importance of news that a lowly guard would bring, but he could just behead him if he wasn't satisfied. He could live without this particular guard.

"The prince has been spotted by fire tribe soldiers moving in the direction of the Northern mountains!"

"Uh-huh." He says, unimpressed. Wasn't that the new kings problem? As long as the prince wasn't back, he didn't care. He pondered what time would be best for the execution of the guard who had so foolishly interrupted his deep and meaningful mourning of Yona's disappearance.

Heuk-chi, Tae-Juns ever present attendant and resident sassmaster face palmed, utterly ashamed at his masters deduction skills. Vaguely, he wondered if Tae-Jun understood that Yona and the prince had disappeared _together_. Probably not, all things considered. Maybe he did understand it, but just chose to reject it in favor of a more acceptable reality. Maybe that was giving him too much credit. Deciding to help the spoiled son, more out of pity than anything else, he spoke up. "Sir, if the prince is there, Yona will likely be with him."

At that, Tae-Jun whipped his head up. He stared at Heuk-chi like he had just opened his eyes to the deepest, darkest secrets of the world, making Heuk-chi feel very much like face palming again.

Tae-jun turned to the guard, who just moments before he was planning the death of. "Prepare soldiers immediately! We shall go to the Northern Mountains as quickly as we can!"

"YES SIR!" The eager guard bellowed, rushing off to gather what would be a veritable army.

Heuk-Chi examined the mildly sickening and extremely perverted expression that had overcome Tae-Juns face. Had he made the right decision?

* * *

><p>"Do you see anything?" I ask. It was a pointless question, really. Barren wasteland went on as far as my eyes could see both behind and in front of us; a deadly drop into a large ravine was situated to the left of us, and on the right was an un-scalable cliff.<p>

"Why would I see anything if you don't?"

I don't answer that. It was probably a rhetorical question anyway.

Continuing to walk, I finger the hilt of one of my swords, taking slight comfort in the familiar feeling. I had felt uneasy all day, and though I had no justification for it, It meant I was on high alert.

My feelings were rarely wrong.

The prince seemed content though. He stayed far from the edge of the extremely steep cliff we were walking next to, much to my happiness, but he was strolling along as though he had no cares in the world.

If something happens to make him unhappy, I will be _very_ angry.

"Why do you think a priest would choose to live here, of all places?" He questions carelessly.

I pause. Was he unaware of the treatment of the priest during the previous kings reign? He couldn't be, he was the prince after all. I assume that they taught him the history of the ruling family. Right? That seems like something really important that should definitely be taught to the next king, right?

He turns to me, obviously expecting an answer. "Not everyone is as helpless as you." I jab, "You would probably fall off a cliff or starve to death if you attempted to reside here, but most people could live quite comfortably in a secluded place like this." It was a lie of course, the dry ground had no mercy for anything edible, and the freezing nights would certainly off anyone who hadn't had the foresight to take shelter. Making fun of him meant that I didn't have to give him a real answer though, which is something I'd like to avoid. If Mundok hadn't wanted to tell him, there must be a reason, right?

Perhaps he didn't need to know the corruption that hid under sweet incense and beautiful silk.

"... In fact, I would probably become fat if I lived here; I would..." Belatedly, I realize the prince had been arguing with my statement while I internally monologued. He had always been a master of ranting to himself though, so instead I turn my attention to the uneasiness growing like a cold stone in my stomach.

I pause for a second, taking in all the sensations the world around me has to offer. Nothing seems out of place, except... Faintly, I feel something from the ground. Earthquake? Crouching and placing my hand on the ground, my worst fears are confirmed.

"People." I whisper.

The prince is staring at me, his head tilted a bit to the side in the way a puppy does when it's confused. His expression displays the utmost innocence, it's obvious he doesn't know what's about to happen. They're too close for me to be able to find a secure place to hide him, and they're getting closer by the second. Fuck.

I don't want him to see me fight. I don't want him to see me kill. I've tried so hard to keep him away from the darkness I sow. I've tried so hard to have him know me as Yona not-

"The Crimson Beast!" The yell completes my thoughts.

Whelp, too late for that now I guess. I stand, raise my hands far above my head, and stretch while surveying the veritable army of fire tribe soldiers. I diligently maintain a relaxed posture. If I don't look worried, Hak will have no reason to be. Right? I was worried though, about various pressing issues. How will I shield Hak from what I'm about to do? Will I be able to defeat the sheer number of soldiers appearing from every possible place? They're everywhere, it seems. They're yelling, too, but I can't hear them over the crashing and thundering flooding my ears.

Hak's face is fearful, now. Fuck.

Ripping apart the people who made him look like that will be so satisfying. My eyes narrow at the soldiers, and I grab one of my swords.

They unleash a barrage of arrows, but the arrows move slow. They look like they're flying through syrup towards us, causing me to smirk. With my free hand, I grab Hak, pressing his face to my chest so he won't see anything. He struggles a bit, though he is no match for me.

Still, I don't want to keep the prince hostage against his will. It goes against my nature, in a deep and obtrusive way. So, in the calmest and softest voice I can manage with my blood boiling and burning I ask, "Please, just follow my lead. I swear, I won't let anything happen to you."

It's almost sickening how fast he acquiesces. Having such trust placed in you is never a good feeling.

The arrows finally reach the end of their slow path, us. I cut them out of the air easily. Adrenaline courses though me, and without my consent, my mouth twists into a smirk.

Before I can cause carnage, I have to get the prince away. I know that. But I can't help myself from slashing at the soldiers I run past to reach a safe place. I do make sure that Hak's eyes are completely covered, though I can't to anything to keep their shrill screams from reaching his ears. To his credit, he makes no attempt to struggle or lift his head.

It's a stumbling, awkward dance. He has to stoop, for his face to reach my chest, and his lack of sight makes me his only guide. My hand is clenched in his hair, tight enough to keep him there, loose enough so it doesn't hurt. The softness of his hair is the only thing keeping me from getting lost in the crimson flying all around us. But it would be so easy...

No, I can't. Protecting Hak will always be the most important thing. But only when I'm myself. Only when I'm Yona; only when the crimson beast slumbers soundly deep within me.

I glide backwards to keep blood from landing on the prince, and am rewarded with an overlooked arrow slicing the edge of my arm.

I gasp, slightly, but it's enough for the prince to attempt to look up. That's enough to make me acknowledge the blood running down my hand, the blood blending in with my hair, the blood that soaks through my entire soul. The blood I hope never stains him.

I panic and push his head down, rougher than I had ever been with him before. I immediately regret it as he makes a soft sound of pain.

"Fuck, I'm sorry." I say, while slicing a soldiers neck. I don't give him time to reply, because I can see the soldiers thinning on one side of us, presenting an opening for the princes escape. Good.

I lurch towards them, taking two out so easily it was disappointing. One attempts, foolishly, to attack the prince, which makes him meet with the cruel fate of bleeding to death from a non-lethal stab through his stomach. The others I grant darkness to swiftly, and then there is nothing in front of me but the mountain path.

I pick the prince up, and run.

I run until I can no longer hear the yells of the soldiers, and find a nice clearing in the middle of thick bushes to put the prince.

I look at him for the first time since I started fighting. His blue eyes are so, so wide, and there are so, so many emotions crashing together in them. I want nothing more than to comfort him, hug him tightly and make all the worry and sadness and every bad emotion disappear.

A faint yell reminds me of my priorities right now. I can deal with anything the prince has to throw at me later. Right now, the crimson beast is calling for blood, and it cannot be ignored.

"Stay here. Stay quiet, unless they find you. Then be loud. _Very_ loud. Got it?"

His lower lip is trembling, an expression I have seen far too much of. Rage burns me, lava bubbling under my skin, urging me to mutilate those who made him wear such a sad expression. But showing that to him would only make it worse.

Instead, I lean in close to him and gently wipe away a tear that had only barely escaped his quivering blue eyes. "Please don't cry. I crumble completely when you cry. And I can't crumble, not now." I press a gentle kiss to his forehead, hoping that somehow it will make up for everything.

I don't wait for an answer, instead vaulting over the wall of brush protecting him. I hear a faint '_wait_!' Behind me, but I ignore it in favor of the bloodshed about to occur. Eagerly, I draw my other sword.

I round the corner and come face to face with a group of soldiers. Perfect. A toothy grin spreads across my face as I sprint towards the first one. He's caught off guard, making the removal of his head quite easy. One of the other three yells, and I glide backwards, missing his poorly done attack with room to spare. I wait for him to attack again, and when he does I slip under his guard and take him down. He moans slightly, which I cut off with a swift kick to the head as I swing my swords in a wide circle around me.

This catches the stomach of one of the guards, putting him out of commission. The other two are quick enough to avoid it. One of them is already running towards me, while the other is standing back looking more than a little hesitant. I duck under the first ones sword, flinging it into the air. He's no match as I use the hilt of one of my swords to strike him in the stomach; I leave him vomiting blood on the floor.

The other one is slowly backing away. I grant him mercy, sprinting up to him before swiftly hitting the back of his neck non-vitally. He slumps to the ground, unconscious but not dead. For him, the only souvenir from this battle will be a splitting headache.

And then I'm off running again. I'm careful to not go too far from the prince since I need to be able to hear him if he yells, but I don't want to lead them anywhere near him.

Before long, I'm met with another group of soldiers. This ends in mostly the same way as the first, though one of them was good enough to leave a small cut across my cheek. The stinging invigorates me, and his death is swift and painless.

I lose myself to the rhythm of taking lives. A stab, a slice, a dodge. Duck here, steal the light from his eyes there. Breathe. Dodge, duck, slice. Stab, and try not to lick the blood from your lips like some kind of maniac.

This is the purest form of stress relief. My eternally racing thoughts all still, allowing instinct and muscle memory to take over. Adrenaline coursing through my veins; a drug far too sweet to not be addicted to. And the power, the power of taking peoples lives. It assures me, that no matter what, everything would be all right. Because I have the strength to _make_ it alright.

I have the strength to protect Hak.

"WHATS WRONG WITH YOU!?" The voice echoes throughout the canyon, freezing all the soldiers and myself. It takes a second for the realization of who it was to wash over me. His voice sounded so firm and powerful, like the king he was meant to be.

I'm so jarred by the acute resemblance to Mundok that it takes a moment for me to register that he left after I so specifically told him not to. When this fact finally occurs to me, the soldiers are closing in fast. I dispatch of the closest ones, keeping an eye on Hak to make sure he doesn't see. He doesn't, but my split focus earns me a mild gash on my side.

Seeing that the prince is entirely focused on something up there and appears to be in no present danger; I turn my full attention to the men attempting to kill me, managing to down the rest of them quickly without any injuries to myself.

I look back up just in time to see a man I only vaguely knew advancing on Hak, sword drawn.

I saw red.

* * *

><p>It was quiet for only a few seconds after Yona left, then the screams started. It came in waves, and while the screams themselves weren't exactly the best sound in the world, the fact that they all belonged to men was reassuring.<p>

With every scream I tense more, aware of the battle between Yona and the soldiers, but unable to interact with it in any way. Unable to be of help in any way.

I crouch, frozen. A holler, louder than the rest, scares me enough to cause me to fall in a shaking pile on the ground. The world blurs and shimmers, a sign of tears I'm trying desperately to ignore.

I hate this. I hate her having to risk her life for me. I hate her having to bloody her hands for me. I hate her having to protect me, and I hate _hate_ _**hate**_ being so useless.

I hate this.

_I hate this_.

**_I hate this_**.

'Then do something.'

I whip my face up, adrenaline spiking in my system. The voice had been deep and authoritative, but not threatening. Jerking my vision around the small hovel I had been left in reveals no one. That doesn't calm me in the slightest. And... They were responding to my thoughts.

God, I don't need to be going crazy, on top of everything else.

Another yell reminds me of the much more pressing situation at hand. Could I actually do something?

Could I help?

Yona had been training me, but... I knew I wasn't that good. At least I wasn't delusional. I would just be a burden. I would just screw everything up. I would just get both of us killed. I just need to stay here like a good prince, and let Yona handle everything, because Yona's amazing. Yona's strong. Yona won't die.

"Isn't she amazing?" The voice echoing my thoughts starts out quiet, but slowly gets louder, signaling that the owner of it was getting closer. "The way the blood runs down her face, and_ oh_, that expression! The raw power she display as she rips away their pitiful lives!"

Disturbed but intrigued, I carefully peer though the bushes to find the owner of the voice. He turns out to be a man I knew, though only vaguely. Kan Tae-Jun, son of the fire tribe chief.

I had never spoken to him, mostly because the way he stared at Yona at the castle had freaked me the fuck out. It actually made me worried for her, though I was aware that she could probably handle someone dorky and pampered like him blindfolded with one hand.

Looks like the heebie-jeebies I always got from him were right. It's disgusting, watching him celebrate the deaths of his men. Even the servant he is talking to looks uncomfortable.

"The look in her eyes is so _hnng_ and I just can't wait to bring her back to my palace! Having someone that strong completely and utterly under my control, _oohh_, the things I could _do_!" The look in his eyes shows that he's thinking of very disgusting things he could do. In fact, I think I can see the tiniest bit of drool hanging from his mouth. "It looks like she's getting tired! Oh, sweet Yona, soon you will be mine and mine alone!"

That was just too much.

I burst out of the bushes, throwing one of my kunai at the servant with him. I try to aim somewhere non vital, as he seems to share my sentiment about Tae-Jun's fantasies. It misses though, falling harmlessly by his feet. Though I've lost the element of surprise, the next one I throw hits him straight in the thigh, causing him to fall off the ledge we're on to the lower one, where sounds of battle echo from.

I skid to a stop in front of Tae-Jun, who's staring at me like I just popped into existence and told him I was his mother.

Funny expressions aside, there was a question that urgently needed to be asked.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!" I bellow, using all the air in my lungs. I gasp more in as I watch his expression change from dumbfucked, to angry, to an insane kind of smile that sent chills up my spine.

"I was hoping I would find you, but it looks like you've gone and presented yourself to me." He says, his voice barely a whisper, said through a smile. "You see, without you, Yona has no reason to run from me. Without you, I'll be her only ticket back to the castle." He slowly slides his sword out of its hilt. "Without you, she'll be _mine_."

I step back and finger one of my kunai. He steps towards me, slowly. I step back. This cat and mouse game continues till my heel is off the edge of the cliff. He smiles at me, and it's not in any way comforting.

And then he swings.

I fall back, deeming the drop survivable while being carved up is most definitely not. Even if it wasn't survivable, I wouldn't want to give my life to some disturbed freak. Plus... Yona's down there, and it's not like she'd ever let me hit the ground. Right on cue, I land on something soft instead of the hard ground.

"Why are you here?!" Are her first words to me. I was about to rag on her for it, saying that maybe a nice '_I'm glad you're okay._' Would've been better, till I saw her face.

I couldn't tell what was blood and what was hair, but thick streams of both were falling across her normally sweet countenance. The rest of her wasn't much prettier, blood ran in rivulets down her exposed arms, dripping off her red-washed sword into a growing puddle on the ground. Her eyes were insanely wide, and tinged with crazy. They were the only respite from the sea of red though, so I latch onto them, trying to find traces of the Yona I knew.

I don't get to search for long, because she's placing me on my feet and returning to carving the lives out of the soldiers quickly closing in. More blood splashes across her, and little droplets reach me. The land across me face and hands, still warm from the life they had once belonged to.

Suddenly, some of the whispers make sense. 'The Crimson Beast' indeed.

"Kill the prince!" Yells Tae-Jun from above. "Target him!"

At least two soldiers follow his command while Yona is busy, chasing me to the edge. I run along it before a third appears in front of me, cornering me. I glance down the cliff, quickly shifting my gaze back up as the word starts to spin.

The three soldiers are closing in, swords drawn. Well, I guess it's time to choose, falling or impalement?

I take too long, so the choice is made for me. I squish my eyes shut as the soldier in front of me thrusts his sword towards my stomach. I should've chosen falling.

Pain courses through my abdomen, though not as much as I had expected. I dread what I'll find when I open my eyes, because really, only one thing could explain this. I can feel whispers of hair ghosting against me, and the warmth of another body in front of me, but I want to reject it. Despairingly, my worst fears are confirmed when I gather the courage to crack open my eyes.

There stands Yona, a sword sticking out of her stomach and into mine. Blood is dribbling out of her mouth, which is open ever so slightly. Her impossibly wide eyes are staring into mine, and there are either too many emotions or not enough, because I can't read them at all.

Slowly, she tilts her head down to stare at the sword going through her. She looks confused now, as though she can't quite compute what that sword means. She follows it to my stomach, where red is slowly seeping into my clothes. Immediately, her expression changes from perplexed to the purest form of rage I have ever seen.

She falls forward, pushing me off the sword with her body weight. Tipping off the edge, I can feel the yawning chasm spread out below me. Even though everything's moving as though suspended in molasses, I make no attempt to stop my fall. Once she can see the tip of the sword, she starts turning, much to my dismay. The sword carves into her with a sickening noise, before she pops off. She uses her turn to slash one of her swords through all three soldiers necks.

And then we're falling, falling, falling. Me, her, and the severed heads of three soldiers fall down, down, down, into the abyss of the Northern Mountains.


	6. A little push

Puffy clouds float lazily across the sky; the sun is shining down on the canopy of leaves that blanket the ravine in the Northern Mountains. The lush forest floor is dappled with patches of sun and shade, with just the slightest hint of a breeze carrying the sweet scent of mountain flowers. Yoon, a self proclaimed genius pretty boy, is wandering around the forest with no real aim, simply enjoying the mountain air while eating his apple (okay, maybe he was singing a little bit. But that's a secret.) When he stumbles across what would be the catalyst for the most exciting adventure in his life.

He doesn't know it right now though, so when he chances upon two barely-living bodies making the normally clear and refreshing stream run red, he simply says, "Ugh, what a bother."

Perhaps he would reacted differently if he had seen the severed heads hiding in various bushes around him, but he had not. So he lets his conscience take over; and ends up carrying both the near dead bodies back to his and Ik-Soo's hut. It took two trips, and it was more like he was dragging the guy, but he made it. And that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>Pain. Pain everywhere. With every breath, agony jolts through me. I groan, already wanting to go back to sleep. Vaguely, I know something important has happened, but it's probably not important enough to warrant being conscious, so I let myself slip back into the comfortable darkness, where the pain that seems so absolute can't find me.<p>

Faintly, as I slip back into unconsciousness, I hear footsteps, but I'm too far gone to pay them any mind.

* * *

><p>When consciousness seeks me out once again, I can tell from the grogginess present in my thoughts that it's been a few hours. The pain is still present, though numbed. I sleepily squint open my eyes and am surprised to see a roof over me.<p>

Why am I surprised to see a roof over me?

I reach back in my memories, sorting out blurry shapes and indistinct events. Soldiers. Fire tribe soldiers. They found us and... Yona left, told me to stay. I didn't listen. Then... I was cornered, and Yona... Yona!

I scramble up, or at least try to scramble up. I'm stopped halfway through by sharp pain coursing throughout my body. I slump back down, breathing heavily.

Owwww... But, I _need_ to know if Yona's okay.

Gently this time, I push my head up off the floor. Sunlight streams in through an open doorway, illuminating the room I currently reside in. A fire pit is situated in the center, the ashes coating it betraying it's heavy use. And beyond the fire pit... Was Yona, wrapped almost completely in bandages.

I stare and stare and stare, because Yona, the Yona who had never had so much as a scratch on her, the Yona who was stronger than anyone else, the Yona who could defeat armies upon armies, wasn't breathing.

_She wasn't breathing_.

_**She wasn't breathing**_.

I drag myself over, ignoring the pain that just keeps getting worse. Yona's image blurs, from pain or tears I don't know. I finally make it to her, after what seems like centuries. Bandages are wrapped over her eyes, and I have to hold back the overwhelming impulse to tear them off and scream at her to wake up, because she's _not _dead.

As I stare at her, a small, rattling cough escapes her, and she starts to breathe again; shallow and fast breaths, but breaths nonetheless.

I let out a long whoosh of air I hadn't known I was holding.

"Ahem." I try to spin around quickly, all too aware that the voice could belong to an enemy, but only halfway succeed. I manage to turn, but in the process I fall uselessly on my side, shooting pain up my body. My eyes squish shut on their own accord. Footsteps come towards me, and I manage to force my eyes open right as they reach me.

Leaning over me is a... Girl? Boy? They're very pretty, either way, with strawberry blonde hair leaning more towards the strawberry side, and bright blue eyes with long, dark eyelashes.

"What the hell is your problem?" The deep voice betrays that it's a guy. An extremely pretty guy, but a guy nonetheless. "Look, now you're bleeding again, and I did so much to patch you up!"

"Yona..." My voice is raspy and croaky. I try again, this time after clearing my throat. "Yona, is Yona okay?" This time, my voice is pleading.

"Well, if Yona is the girl you ruined all my hard work for, " I nod at that. "Honestly, I didn't think she'd be okay. She was skewered, all the way through. It was already infected, and she had a _very_ high fever. It wasn't a clean wound either, whoever did it had sliced her up pretty good."

My heart drops as I remember the noise when Yona had turned, still on the sword. That sound... It would haunt me forever.

He must've seen something change in my face, because he suddenly starts to talk very fast. "Sorry, sorry, shouldn't have explained all that to you. Anyway, whoever this girl is, she's amazing because her wounds not even infected anymore. Like, I cleaned it but I really didn't think she could come back from that. And she still has a fever, but it's much lower now and still lowering. Seriously, who is this girl? Along with everything else, which by itself would be fatal to anyone, she was bruised all over and had a few minor cuts..."

As soon as I had heard that Yona would be okay, relief washed over me. Along with relief, sleepiness attacked, making my eyes feel very... Heavy. I let them drift shut, and slump down, unable to fight the darkness enveloping me.

"Hey! I was talking!" The boys voice vaguely reaches me. "And don't pass out here! Do you know how hard it was too..." I don't get to hear the end of his sentence, because for all intents and purposes, I am dead to the world.

* * *

><p>Falling hadn't been all that bad. Neither had hitting the ground, even though I used my body as a cushion for Hak. By then, I could already feel my body shutting down. I didn't feel the pain of landing, though it had sent a jolt thrugh my body that seemed to paralyze me. Try as I might, I couldn't even wiggle my toes, and right then I had accepted death.<p>

There wasn't really a reason not to. Why fight darkness? The darkness is welcoming, comforting. It soothes you, blinds you to your own flaws. There's no expectations, no responsibilities. No one else to judge you, to fear you or hate you.

Honestly, it was heaven. Eternal black. Eternal rest. Why had I even fought it to begin with? There was no pressure here. And I died an honorable death, protecting the true ruler of this country. There were no regrets, nothing to tie me to earth.

So I let myself fade into the dark.

I existed like that for hours, or maybe years. Maybe it was only seconds. Thinking; not thinking. Floating, or perhaps resting on air. There was nothing but darkness here, so really, there could be anything here.

So you can imagine the surprise when I saw a light.

And that brings us to the present, where I'm currently contemplating whether I should ignore the light or inspect it.

I'm familiar with the whole bright white light when you die thing, but as far as I'm concerned, I've been dead for quite a while. This light seems a bit late. And it wasn't exactly bright or white, instead it had the yellow and soft tint of a city.

Hmm. I suppose spending the next eternity in darkness would be pretty boring, and it's not like it will revive me, right?

So I leisurely stroll towards the light. As I get closer, my theory is confirmed. A bustling city is laid out before me, out of place in the absolute darkness that was everywhere else.

I wander into it, eyeing stores lined up on each side of the street I am on. One particular store catches my eye. It was a sweet shop, with a horde of kids jostling around it. It feels... Nostalgic, for some reason. I glance back in front of me, stopping abruptly when a mans chest fills my vision. I brace myself for the collision, already preparing apologies, but no collision comes.

I squint my eyes open, to see... Nothing. Well, the cities still there, but the person I was nanoseconds from crashing into is nowhere to be found. I turn around, and see him walking down the street as though nothing happened. Huh? He was too close to avoid me...

Hmm.

To test the theory budding in my mind, I fake a stumble in front of another person. Instead of hitting them, I fall through them like they're only empty air.

Oh.

I glance around. Everyone looks real enough, except... Their faces. Their faces are blurry, and it's hard to focus on them. How did I not notice that? I stare hard at a women buying groceries, trying to make out any facial features at all. I turn away once I feel a headache starting to form.

Well then. I suppose I shouldn't have expected a normal city in the land of the dead. I stay, despite the oddness of the city. Vaguely, it's familiar, and the nagging curiosity of why keeps me here.

My heart stops as I look upwards for the first time since entering the city. Looming over everything, just as I had seen so many times before, was Hiryuu castle. Forget the faces, how had I missed that?!

Immediately, I'm running at a dead sprint towards it. The fact I can pass easily through the bustling streets is quite helpful, and I arrive in no time. It's exactly as I remember. The towering walls and intricate woodwork steal my breath, just as they had the first time I saw it.

The gates are closed right now; I doubt that matters to me though. I walk to them, and lift my hand as though to place it on the handle. Just as I had anticipated, my hand goes right through it.

I pull it back, and stare at the gate for a long moment. What is this? Where am I? This is Saika, but at the same time... There's something different. And it's not just the faceless people.

I sigh, and slip through the gate. I suppose the only way to find out will be to explore.

Deja vu hits me as soon as I see the large courtyard spread out in front of me. This place had been my home away from home for as long as I could remember.

I stroll casually to the room that I had claimed as mine so many years ago, taking in the sights as I went. The beautiful scenery was comforting and familiar. The sweet smell of flowers hung heavy in the air, despite the slight breeze. It wasn't all that odd, considering the sheer amount of flowers grouped in this one castle.

Finally, I make it to my room. The knob on my door passes easily through my hand when I grab for it, causing me to sigh. I had been looking forward to the feeling, so familiar and comforting.

Oh well. I step through the door into my room. Immediately, I notice a lump under the covers. Who would be sleeping in my room?

Ok, I guess it's not my room anymore, but still. Someone else sleeping here is wrong.

I'm halfway across the room, set on finding the identity of this intruder, when the door behind me slams open. I jump and spin, landing in a low to the ground fighting stance.

It takes a second for me to register who it is, but when I do an embarrassing squeal escapes my throat. Hak stands before me, in all his adorable 7-year-old glory. His eyes are wide and energetic; his mouth is tilted in the mischievous smirk I had grown to love. His shirt is just slightly too big, covering most of his hands. He was the cutest patoot when he was younger, full of energy and mischief.

I watch as he crosses the room and flings the covers off of the suspicious lump, revealing a curled up eight year old me.

This is a memory, then? It's odd that I'm seeing this in the third person though...

My attention is drawn back to former me and Hak; we seem to be arguing. After a second of listening, I understand that I'm quite angry about him throwing my warm covers off of me, but too sleepy to adequately express it. I had managed to get my blanket back over me though, but Hak seems intent on getting it back off.

"Whyy..." My high-pitched voice trails off at the end.

"You can't lie in bed all day again! You have to eat something, and get some fresh air!" Hak explains, like a mother hen.

"Why should I? It's not like I have a reason to get up."

"Of course you do! Don't you want to become an uber-cool ninja samurai warrior?"

I stifle a giggle at little Hak. If only he was this cute now!

Little me sits up, throwing Hak to the floor in the process. The blanket rests over her head like a hat. "Do you know what it means to be an uber-cool ninja samurai warrior?" She (I?) says with a straight face.

"Uh-huh! You go out and defeat the baddies!"

She looks over him, face as unreadable as ancient hieroglyphics. "Come back when you learn the word 'murder'." Again, déjà vu flows through me. I remember this, vaguely. It had been right after I killed the first person who didn't deserve it, a prisoner they had me practice on so my first kill wouldn't have to be on the battlefield. Too many had been lost as they stood, shell-shocked, staring at their first murder, so they used defenseless prisoners as our 'training wheels.' It was much more mentally scarring in my opinion, but it's not like anyone cared about that.

Hak's face changes, from excited and exuberant child to a puppy that's just been scolded and doesn't quite know why. Jeez, I was a prick when I was a kid.

Little me also sees the change in his face. I can see her resolve waver, picking up on the slightest trembling of her lip and widening of her eyes. But she flops back on the bed and cocoons herself in a blanket, leaving Hak looking about as depressed as the cute lil' dope could.

Slowly, he gets up and leaves, closing the door softly behind him. I follow, worrying about him even though he wasn't even my responsibility yet. Right outside the door, he slides down the wall and stares out into the garden.

I can see how badly he's trying to hold it back, but his eyes are tearing up despite his best efforts. Soon, he's curled into a ball that convulses with every sob.

I reach out to him, drawing my hand back like it was burned when it goes through him.

"Why won't you just open up!" He yells suddenly. I jerk back for a moment, before remembering that he wasn't talking to me, at least not to present me.

"You're so lonely, and you just won't let me help! I'm stronger than you think, and you need someone!" He screams. I'm sure former me is listening from in her haven of blankets and pillows, and I'm just as sure that she won't acknowledge a word he's said. Because one thing will never ever change.

I don't _need_ anyone. He's got it all wrong, I don't need. I've never needed anyone. People need me; not the other way around.

"You'll never change, will you?" The voice is forcefully masculine, sounding from everywhere and nowhere all at once. I whip around, trying to locate the source, but the only one in sight is Hak, curled up and silent again.

"Guess I'll need a different tactic." The voice echoes again.

"Who are you?!" I yell frantically at the air.

"Just someone who needs you to stay alive." They answer, sounding distracted.

"So I'm not dead?"

"No, not really. You're in the in-between. Deaths waiting room, if you will. As of right now, you can still leave."

"As of right now? So if I don't leave, I'll be here forever?"

"You'll be dead forever, yes. 'Here' is such a relative term though."

"That doesn't sound that bad." It had been my plan anyway, to float here forever.

"Not for you, I suppose. But if you stay here, the world you left will wither and follow you shortly."

"Like I care about that corrupt world." I scoff.

"Well, do you care about Hak?"

I renew my efforts to find the voice, to no avail.

"Surprised? Yeah, I know things. Did you really think he would survive without you? Did you really think he would want to survive without you? You said it yourself. He needs you."

"I doubt he wants me to come back. I'm not who he thought I was." I mutter under my breath. I'm sure the voice catches it, because apparently, it can read my thoughts.

"Are you sure about that? Even you have to admit, he's perceptive. And even if you don't see it, he cares about you very deeply. You're all he has left."

"That's not true!" I yell. But.. It was. Something occurs to me then, something I had skimmed over in my anger. "Why would the world wither if I died?"

I get no response.

"Hello?" Still no response. The voice, whoever or whatever it was, seems to have left.

It makes sense, since it has fulfilled its purpose. There's no way I can be content in the darkness forever if it means leaving Hak alone. Goddammit, why did a freaky-ass voice have to come and talk morals with me?

I'm probably just going crazy. Or maybe that voice was my withered and forgotten conscience. Wrong time for it to show up.

In any case, it looks like I have to leave. The problem is, how?

Just think about waking up really hard?

After a few seconds of careful deliberation, I decide that's the most reasonable option, sadly.

I take one last look around, eyeing the receding form of little Hak, who got up while I was distracted. He's so short... He used to be shorter than me. He towers over me now. My resolve strengthens even more.

I sigh and close my eyes. Time to think really hard about waking up.

I try to brute force myself awake, by focusing intensely on, well, waking up. When that doesn't seem to work, I open and close my eyes forcefully, as though one time when I open them I'll be in the real world.

That, unsurprisingly, doesn't work either. Great. How does waking up feel, anyway? I sit down, rest my hand on my chin, and start contemplating how to leave.

The sun has almost gone down when I remember a conversation I had with my mom, back when she... Was here.

'Do you know how to wake up from your nightmares?' She had asked, voice sweet and calming as I cried to her about the dark things in my dreams. I had shaken my snot-ridden head, sobs rendering me mute. My mother had understood anyway, as mothers do, so she continued. 'Well, you just need to pinch yourself. When it doesn't hurt, your subconscious will understand that it's a dream and wake you up.'

The memory of her soft, gentle voice hurts deep in my chest. I lift my hand and touch my arm, remembering countless times I had done this before, in the darkness and death of my own mind. And then I pinch.

There was no pain, nothing at all, and in that moment everything went dark

W

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><p>AN: hey guys! So, I'll admit it, this wasn't the funnest chapter to write. Sorry if that shows through. I'm super excited about the next chapter though, so hopefully that will improve the quality! Thankyou to anyone and everyone who's reviewed, you guys inspire me to keep writing. One anon reviewer in particular left a very helpful review saying that some of my verb use was awkward, it would be awesome if he/she could give me specific examples, because that's something I'd love to work on. As always, constructive criticism is pretty much the best thing in my life, please leave some. k.


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